


Marks Leave Scars

by NuhnYah



Category: One Piece
Genre: Ace/Luffy mentioned, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst, Canon-Typical Violence, Canonical Character Death, Coby/Luffy mentioned, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Kid/Luffy mentioned, M/M, Mentions of Suicide, Minor Franky/Nico Robin, Minor Nami/Nefertari Vivi, Minor Roronoa Zoro/Vinsmoke Sanji, Past Character Death, Shirahoshi/Luffy mentioned, Soulmate-ish AU, Strangers to Lovers, seriously buckle up, speed-run, you'll get whiplash
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-29
Updated: 2019-08-28
Packaged: 2019-09-02 13:06:06
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 86
Words: 255,740
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16787536
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NuhnYah/pseuds/NuhnYah
Summary: Everyone gets marks at least once in their lifetime. It's just a matter of when. Marks can appear red, or black, the marks aren't set in stone. They're subject to change, they can disappear, change color, or even scar. A black mark means feelings on all sides are mutual, red means the love is unrequited, and well, a  scar comes from a mark dying.Law is not one easily persued, he's never gotten a mark, and finds them to be, putting it frankly, a load of crap. How could some inexplainable mark on the skin determine love anyway?Luffy, on the other hand, loves so much. He's had four marks, all of which have scared. Luffy has been through a lot, he's convinced himself marks are cursed in the past. But this time he'll make sure it's different.





	1. Flevance

**Author's Note:**

> All I've got to say for right now is that this fic is already on wattpad under the same title (Mark's Leave Scars) and user name (NuhnYah) I'll be posting on here twice a week until the chapters are caught up to the ones one wattpad. (Right now we're at 39)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All I've got to say for right now is that this fic is already on wattpad under the same title (Mark's Leave Scars) and user name (NuhnYah) 
> 
> Edit:  
> Still working on formatting but the first 30 chapters are all done!

_**♤Luffy♤** _

"Luffy, hurry up and find your bag, I wanna go check in already and get something to eat," Nami complained while I stood by the very slow-moving conveyer belt. It was so slow! It's wasn't my fault. Nami didn't have to be so pushy.

"Nami, he can't make it go any faster," Robin informed, looking up from a book titled _Bloody Jack._

"Yeah!" I said, just as my bright red bag revealed itself.

"Finally, let's go, guys," Nami called out to the others. Everyone gathered their things and started walking. Nami had picked the hotel farthest from the airport so the on the way through town she could look at all the potential areas set up business.

The buildings looked like they had once belonged to a wealthy town. Shadows of what was once pure white remained on the buildings. Some buildings even looked like their entire surface had been scraped off and painted over.

On most buildings, the paleness was replaced by dirt and cracked paint that had lost its purity due to the elements.

Nami pointed out a place for Franky and Usopp to sell their inventions. It was near a mechanic shop, a big open space right across the street from it.

I pointed out a place for me, Brook, and Robin that had plenty of space. It looked like it had once been host to a fountain. Sanji took note on where he can set up his cooking stand. Nami informed Zoro that he could take a train to the next town over to deal with his _business_.

Chopper walked right beside me, trotting along at my heels, wagging his tail. We had him on the streets a few weeks ago. We were all dancers, and everyone had their hobbies, some like Sanji and Franky, could make money from theirs, so they didn't always dance. Franky didn't always have the best success. And Usopp tried to help him out. Sanji liked to set up a stand to sell food, When he did that, he always brought a cooked meal back.   
"Oh look! Our hotel!" Nami cheered as we arrived on the street our hotel was on.

"This is gonna be so fun!" I exclaimed we didn't usually stick to small towns. But this one was right on the coast, and Robin thought its history was something worth learning about. I ran ahead of the others and into the hotel.

While I waited for the others to catch up, I stared at the four tally mark like scars on my wrist. Everyone got tally marks. They always appeared when a person fell in love. If someone is lucky they only get one or two. I didn't entirely understand all the little things about these marks but that didn't matter. Marks were never wrong. 

Zoro has two. One was a scar and one was black. Sanji had one black one, so did Nami, Robin, Usopp, and Franky.

Brook had one red one, Chopper didn't have any, then again, he was a dog.

Black ones meant that the love was mutual. Red meant only that person loved someone. And scars. Those meant the other person was dead. That was as much as I knew about these marks. 

I had more marks than anyone else I had met. And people looked at me weird when they realized I only had perfectly rectangular scars. Most looked at me sympathetically. Others just looked curious. But that didn't really matter. 

Finally, the others caught up.

"You're so slow!" I complained to my friends while Nami checked in. She paid for a total of three rooms. 

Me, Sanji, and Zoro in one. Chopper, Brook, and Usopp in another, and Nami, Robin, and Franky in the last one. The rooms were nice enough, they were also very pale, white walls with off white covers over the beds, a black carpet. This whole town seemed to have a secret. We all put away our stuff and relaxed. I wanted to be out and moving around though, spending all that time on a long flight made me feel restless. Maybe I should go out and dance for a while by myself. It's not like anyone else would want to after getting off the plan anyway. I put my suitcase on my bed and started to dig through it for my speaker. 

"I'm going out to dance, I don't wanna be still," I said to Zoro and Sanji. 

"I'll make sure you have something to eat when you get back," Sanji promised. 

"Yay!" I cheered. I ran over to Sanji, who was hanging up his suits and hugged him.

"Get off of me!" Sanji snapped. I did, then went for the door. 

"Luf," Zoro held a card that would let me back into our room. 

"Thanks!" I grabbed it and left. 

For a small town, this place was filled with a lot of people. At least people walking around. Then again it was summer and this was the coast, so half of them probably didn't live here. I found the place that we had passed on the way to the hotel. There were lots of people out. I found a good place to start dancing.

I plugged connected my phone to the portable speaker that I brought and picked a good couple of songs to play. I turned it up loud and allowed myself to relax for a moment before I started moving. I didn't have a plan, and that was my favorite way to dance. Robin _always_ had choreography. As much as I loved dancing with everyone else, they didn't like dancing without a plan. They could do it, I've seen it. But they never liked it. 

When I was finished, I bowed at the audience that had stopped to watch me, taking my hat off and turning it upside down. A little trick Nami had taught me. I didn't look, but I felt the weight of money being dropped into it. 

Huh, I didn't really have any other place to put this... If Brook was here, it'd go into one of his instrument cases. Oh well, I can leave my hat on the ground next to my phone and speaker. I took a short break and decided to go again. Some moved on, others stayed to see what I'd do next. 

I was halfway through this round, when I fell right on my rear, hitting my elbow on the cement, as the newcomer fell across my lap, and hot liquid seeped into my leg.  
"Hey, asshole!" Someone from the crowd shouted in displeasure.   
"Ow...." I hummed, rubbing my sore elbow, and trying not to scream at the burning sensation on my leg. I could usually handle pain. Burns were another story though.  
The stranger with unevenly toned skin scrambled to get off of me, his face red his blush went all the way to his ears pierced. That was cute. 

"Shit, sorry." He apologized, mostly annoyed at himself for not paying attention. 

"Are you okay?" I asked the tall stranger, standing and brushing off my clothes. He stood up as well. 

"I should be asking you that," he muttered, observing his coffee-soaked shirt. The crowd around us started to break up with boos and enraged shouts. 

"Shishi, I'm fine," I assured with a smile. 

"Let me make up for it, I'm sure you just lost money along with the crowd," the guy said. He ran his hand through his hair, making it stick up in spots. He looked better like that. It suited him. "There's a cafe around the corner, my treat." 

"Sure, Traf? Tora.... gar? Torao!" I said it took the tall, dark-haired, handso- stranger a moment to realize I was trying to read his name tag.   
"It's Trafalgar, just call me Law," he said, taking off his ID and sticking it in his pocket. 

"I'm Luffy!" I said with a huge, friendly grin. "And I like Torao." 

Torao let out an exasperated sigh. "No stopping you now, huh?" 

"Nope!" Torao shrugged and started walking in the direction he had come. 

"Coming?" He asked when I didn't follow him right away. I picked up my stuff and pocketed the money that was left in my hat before catching up with Torao. 

"Hey your name tag was from a hospital, are you a doctor or something?" I said as we walked. 

"Yeah, I'm a surgeon," he said cooly. 

"That's so cool!" I chirped, grinning up at Law. "You must be really smart, like a genius." 

"Well, I don't know about that," Law said, he glanced at me from the corner of his eye. His eyes were pretty, gray, almost silver. 

"You are!" I insisted. I followed Law around the corner and to a cafe that looked like it used to be a train station. It was old, the white paint that graced it was discolored. We walked inside, there was a lounge area. Law kept going, around a corner. There's the counter and the barista. I laid eyes on the gelato I was sold. 

I got in line with Torao, there was a lady in front of us ordering. "Take your pick," Torao said. 

"Gelato," I said without hesitation. 

Law chuckled. "That was fast, what kind?" 

"As many as they'll let me put on one," I said. Law raised his eyebrow. 

"That sounds disgusting, Law scrunched his nose at the thought. That was cute, he was cute. And smart, and had tattoos. He was _cool and cute._ The lady in front of us moved on. 

"No way, it's delicious! You have to try it," I insisted. 

"No," Torao said quickly, shaking his head with a small smile. 

"You will." Torao looked up and the menu, his jaw became more defined. Oh, okay, Law wasn't just cute, he was hot. Really hot. Torao stepped up the counter and ordered my gelato and a coffee for himself. 

We found a place to sit by the window, I hate my gelato and Torao was still waiting for his coffee. I scooped some up onto the spoon I and held it out for Torao.

"You have to try it."

"No," he said, gently pushing my hand away from him. 

"Just one bite?" I stuck my lip out and him. Torao sighed and held my wrist steady as he took a bite. Law frowned and scrunched his nose more than he had the first time. 

"That's gross." He decided. I shrugged and scooped some ice cream up for myself, kicking my feet that couldn't reach the floor. The barista called Law's name and Law went to go get his drink. 

"I'll take it you're not from here," Torao said as he came back. 

"Nope," I confirmed. 

"What brings you here, in that case?" He asked, taking a long drink from his coffee. 

"I travel with my friends," I said. Torao's brows furrowed. 

"For work?" 

"I never really considered it _working_ but I guess, yeah." I took a bite of my gelato and continued. "We dance on the street and make a lot of money off of it, and we record the stuff we do and Usopp posts it on YouTube." 

"That sounds like the Strawhats," Law murmured. 

"Shishi, I hope so, since that's us." I took another bite. Torao perked up a bit. 

"Really?"

"You know any other dancers that wear a strawhat?" I adjusted my hat, pushing the brim up so I could see him better. 

"I guess not," Law rested his elbow on the table and leaned forward. We spent the better part of an hour at the cafe. I really liked Torao, he was cool and fun to talk to. Sometimes he said things I didn't really understand but was fine. Torao left after saying something about picking up his car. I was getting up to leave when I noticed a card on the table. It had his name on it and his number. "Call me." was written in messily on the back of it. Oh?

"Sanji, I'm hungry," I said as I walked back into our room. 

"Nami ordered pizza," Sanji said. 

"Whoo!" I cheered excitement at the thought of food, jumping back and forth between the two beds.

"Luffy! Calm down!" Sanji snapped, I had accidentally stepped on him. I jumped back on Zoro and Sanji's bed, Sanji knocked me over and I fell onto my back.

"Hey!" I complained, grabbing a pillow and hitting Sanji with it.

"Why you," Sanji growled, swinging the pillow at me but missing by an arm's length. Sanji proceeded to push me off the side of the bed with a loud thud, it sent a firey sensation up my side along with the brief but sudden pain.

"Ow!" I yelped from the floor.

"Will you calm down now?" Sanji asked, frowning at me from his unaltered position on the bed.

"I'm bored!" I yelled, still laying on the floor. I sat up, an idea suddenly popping into my thoughts. I left the room only to go into Usopps.

"Guys, let's build a fort!" I announced, Chopper tilted his head in confusion to my excitement.

"Alright!" Usopp agreed.

"Yohoho," Brook laughed as me and Usopp stripped the bed of their covers.

"Ready, Luffy?" Usopp asked with his hands underneath the bed frame, ready to push it up and against the wall.

"Yup! One,"

"Two."

"Three!" We pushed the bed up together, Chopper watched in awe while Brook calmly drank his tea. We let the bed fall against the wall.

"The other one!" Usopp said me and Usopp did the same to the other bed in the room. I ran back to my room and pulled all the pillows and sheets off my bed, then into Usopps room.

"Brook get that chair," Usopp ordered. Brook did as told, Usopp set the chair on top of the nightstand that was now in the middle of the room.

I dumped my bed covers onto a pile on the floor, took one sheet and spread it to the chair in the middle of the room. Usopp tucked one end around the lamps on the wall and the other into a dresser drawer. We repeated this on the opposite side of the room as well. Once that was complete, we took another sheet and hung it on one of the 'roof' sheets. And again, on the other side.

Then we laid two comforters on the floor, along with the pillows, making a nice, big fort that fell just below my chin when I was standing.

Chopper stuck his rear in the air a viciously wagged his tail before hopping into the mess of sheets. Brook, Usopp and I followed.

"Barf" Chopper barked in excitement.

"I couldn't agree more," Brook agreed with Chopper, sitting on the blanket-covered floor.

"Hey guys the- what the hell?" Nami asked, seeing the massive fort.

"Why didn't you tell me you were doing this?" Nami question, joining the boys within the fort, carrying a box of pizza.

"Don't touch it I'll be right back," Nami said. Not more than a minute later, Nami returned with the others in tow and more pizza.

Robin was carrying a laptop, Sanji had more pillows.

"Emergency movie night!" Nami stated. The nine of them settled in the fort. Robin and Franky sat in the right corner, cuddled up together, next to Robin was Chopper, Zoro and Sanji, also cuddling, then me, Nami, Usopp, and Brook, along with six boxes of pizza.

"What movie do we want to watch?" Robin asked, looking through the laptop.

"Strange Magic!"

"The Road to Eldorado!"

"Ferngully!"

"Tremors!"

"Fast and Furious!"

"The secret of NIMH!"

"Pocahontas!" We shouted at once. Robin looked at the eight of us for a moment.

"How about Ferngully first?" Robin suggested. We all agreed. And so, the pizza consuming and movie watching commenced.

By the end of the night, we all ended up asleep, using each other as pillows.

The next morning everyone was scrambling to get ready and to put things back where they were. Beds thunked loudly into their place, blankets and pillows were thrown into rooms, outfits were changed, teeth were brushed, showers were taken and a half-hour later everyone was ready to start their day.

I wore leather shorts, with a letter jacket/vest which gave me this 'bad boy's sort of look that Nami said made me look hot, Nami's words, not mine. Robin and Brook wore a similar outfit, the three of us were going to go to a park we had passed on the way to the hotel.

Once we were there, we had an entire dance routine which had taken me a while to get used to, I liked dancing, but Robin always made the steps so complicated. It was a pain. While Robin traded her heels for black and blue Osiris's, Brook set up his instruments, which consisted of a penny whistle, a guitar, and a violin and I just laid down the mat, there wasn't much else for me to do. At the sight of Brooks instruments, people started curiously stopping to see what was going on.

"We haven't even started and we're drawing a crowd," Robin commented.

"Told ya we're the best," I declared with a huge grin.

"Yohoho," Brook hummed. "Ready?" I nodded.

"It seems so," Robin said as Brook readied his violin. We started with a sort of fast-paced waltz, which was a little awkward because of my shortness, but that's what Robin said we were aiming for. This got a few chuckles from the growing crowd. We continued this for a few minutes before Brook switched to his penny whistle, this was the most confusing part. There were so many kicks and turns it was impossible to keep up. But Robin and I managed. About halfway through this section of our dance, I stepped out, giving Robin the spotlight.

Money was thrown into my strawhat, which I had left on the ground near the mat. The goal was to bring in at least 200 back to Nami today. After another few minutes, Brook swiftly switched to the guitar, starting off loud and energy filled. Robin and I switched places, I was now going solo, with rhythmic turns, and twists, and even a flip, that one always seemed to get the most applause. It was so easy, I didn't quite understand why. Again Robin slipped back into the dance. Brook gradually slowed down the music, this was the part where Brook had trouble, switching from the guitar to the violin, he could only stop performing for half a second otherwise we'd be thrown off.

Brook managed to make the trade smoothly, it could have been better. And again Robin and I fell back into the waltz, going from fast-paced, to agonizingly slow.

Once we had finished, Robin, Brook, and I bowed, with the sound of claps and change falling into a hat. I rushed to grab my hat as the crowd parted.

"Luffy, you were late in returning, again," Robin noted.

"Sorry," I apologized, scratching the back of my head while handing Robin the hat.

"Brook, you were also late on switching from guitar to violin," Robin added as she began to count their money.

"Forgive me, Robin," Brook said frantically, putting the back of his hand to his forehead.

"It seems we've made $50.64, at this rate will have our quota before lunch."

"Mmmm, lunch." I hummed at the thought of food, especially any kind of ham Sanji might cook.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edited: 8/18/19


	2. Trafalgar

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ayyye, look at that I'm already late on updates, in my defense, I got my wisdom teeth pulled out this week.

I woke up to the glare of the sun. Never a great thing to wake up. This is why I needed to remember to close the curtains. 

I rolled over in my comfortable bed with dark gray covers and looked over at the alarm clock, red numbers blinking angrily at me. I had woken five minutes before the alarm.

I pulled the blankets over my shoulder and let them envelop me in all their warmth. I closed my eyes, looking forward to the extra few moments of sleep.

And there goes the alarm. I leaned over and turned it off. I ran my fingers over my smooth, empty writs. Marks were always an absurd concept. With no scientific basis. Biological phenomena, if you will. Anyone that whole heartily rested their faith in them was an idiot.   
I sighed, pushed the thought aside, and pulled myself out of bed, letting my bare feet hit the brown carpeted flooring. I yawned and proceeded to get ready for work. 

Shower. Clothes. Shave. Small breakfast. Brush teeth. The works. 

I begrudgingly walked to work, I didn't live that far from the hospital but I was also too exhausted to walk there. The only reason I was walking was that Penguin had borrowed my car and crashed it into a fire hydrant. _A fire hydrant._ Now Penguin was paying for my car to be fixed, but hey, I still didn't have a goddamned car for the past week! At least I was getting it back this evening. 

I walked into the hospital, the pale walls and floors only lightened up by a bouquet of colorful flowers in a neon green vase on the nurses' desk. 

"Good morning, Law," a nurse at the front office named Camie greeted. 

"Morning," I replied, trying not to sound too much like a jackass. I went up to my office to find Penguin, Bepo, Sachi, and Jean Bart, flicking papers at each other across my black desk. 

"What the hell?" I questioned as a piece of paper flew towards me. I sidestepped out of its path

"Hey, Boss," Penguin said, flicking a piece of paper at Bepo. 

"Why?" I asked, rubbing my forehead. 

"We got bored," Jean Bart said in defense, shrugging and aiming his paper. 

"Sorry," Bepo apologized right before being pelted with a paper projectile. 

"Whatever, we have a surgery to start in..." I checked my watch as I set my stuff down on the chair next to the desk. 

"Two hours." 

"The guy with an infection in his leg right?" Sachi asked, folding up a small piece of paper with his fingertip. I nodded. 

"Okay!" Sachi said, flicking the piece of paper at Jean Bart. 

"And these are the people our community trust with life or death situations," I muttered to myself. 

"What?" All four of my idiot friends asked. I shook my head, sitting down in the swivel chair at my desk.

"Hey, you guys aren't going to believe what I saw today!" Penguin said, perking up as he leaned back in my chair.

"There were these two guys trying to sell some machine near the auto shops, and one of them was flying!" Penguin explained, folding up another paper, I wondered where they were getting the paper. 

"Bullshit," Sachi retorted. 

"Nope," Penguin countered, flicking yet another paper at Sachi. I silently watched my friends and co-workers act like idiots while resting my elbows on the edge of my desk and my chin on my interlocked fingers.

"Yeah, well I had some of best food ever made, and guess what? The chef had eyes brows that curled in a spiral!" Jean Bart announced. The other three started laughing.

"Will you idiots get away from my desk so I can do the work I'm paid to do?" I asked, with that the four of them scrambled away, obviously afraid of me. I began to fill out papers and prescriptions and so on while my friends retreated from my office.

"Law, we got half an hour," Bepo informed, poking his head into the room after what felt like a century. I nodded, stood, and joined the others out in the hall, the five of us headed to the surgery room.

After that, it was the daily routine of check-ups and paperwork.

"Hey, boss!" Shachi beamed, poking his head through the wooden office door, just as I was getting ready to leave. 

"Hm?" I hummed as Shachi stepped in, still wearing his purple scrubs and strangely shaped hat, which was resting on his head oddly. His face was flushed and his clothes disheveled. 

"I can't give ya a ride to get your car," Sachi informed, almost as if he were scared to do so. I expected this to happen 

"Okay," I responded simply, I didn't really mind, a long walk may do me some good anyway.   
"Well, see ya." He sounded almost out of breath... I decided not to put much more thought into that.

"Bye." 

I finished putting away papers, grabbed my bag, which contained my empty lunch containers, work clothes that were in need of washing, and my phone. 

I left the hospital, without being bothered by anyone else, I was leaving extremely early. I started walking through town, taking my time, watching buildings and cars as I passed them. I rarely got time to do anything slowly.

After about fifteen minutes of walking, my favorite cafe came into view. I hadn't had any sort of coffee from there in a while, so why not? I headed inside and got a plain black coffee. It was on the bitter side today. Then again, it was late in the day, so who knows how long ago it had been made... 

I went on down the road, I forgot how crowded this part of town got during tourist season. This area and the pier. The sound of music reached my ears. The kind that would play at a club or something. I looked around, trying to find it's source. My phone started buzzing in my pocket. I fished it out and found a text from Fai. 

I opened the notification only to walk into someone and hot coffee poured down my shirt. 

"Hey, asshole!" Someone from the crowd shouted. I ignored the guy. 

"Ow...." My victim muttered. It took me about half a second that I was on top of the poor guy and pushed myself off of him. 

"Shit, sorry," I blurted. Unable to do anything else.

"Are you okay?" He asked, standing up, I got to my feet too. 

"I should be asking you that," I muttered, I looked down at my white dress shirt. Stained with coffee now. Well, that was annoying. 

"Shishi, I'm fine," he assured with a smile. And damn he was cute. His smile left me speechless. It was so childlike, so carefree. The scar under his eye made it even more- for lack of a better word- _pure._ My thoughts went straight to how he'd sound in bed. I quickly diminished it. It wouldn't hurt to try-

"Let me make up for it, I'm sure you just lost money along with the crowd," I heard myself say. Fuck. "There's a cafe around the corner, my treat." 

"Sure, Traf?" What? Oh, I still had my name tag on. "Tora.... gar? Torao!" 

"It's Trafalgar, just call me Law." I took off my ID.

"I'm Luffy!" He said with a huge grin. "And I like Torao." 

As it turns out, Luffy was a traveler and that made my desire all the stronger. I didn't want or have the time for anything serious. And his way of life didn't exactly allow for it either. _Fucking_ around a little didn't sound like such a bad idea. Especially with someone who'd come with no consequences...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edited: 8/18/19


	3. Marks

_**♡Law♡** _

The day was nearing its end when my office phone started to ring. I let out a long sigh. I was so close to being off the clock. Reluctantly, I answered the phone in my- as Penguin put it- Done With This Shit Doctor Voice.

"Flevance Hospital, this is Doctor Trafalgar."

"Oh good, I called the right number!" Luffy chirped on the line. "Your card is confusing Torao, there are like three numbers." He sounded so cute, it made me feel bad for simply wanting to fuck him. It's not like anything else was reasonable though, he traveled for a living.

Law scoffed. "And how many times did you try to call the other numbers?"

"I didn't, I got lucky on the first try!" Luff declared. It wasn't difficult to picture the smile on Luffy's face.

"I see," I said. I wasn't sure what else there was for me to say.

"You wanted me to call right?" Luffy asked. "Did you wanna hang out again?"

"If you're interested." My office door clicked and Shachi stepped through, making a small 'o' with his lips as he discovered I was on the phone.

"I am!" Luffy spoke loudly and I pulled the phone from my ear a bit. "Yesterday was fun!" Law smiled. Luffy was an open book, spending time with him yesterday gave me a good idea of what he's like to do.

"Good, when are you free?" Shachi's eyes widened and a smirk spread over his face.

"Oh, we'll be done here in an hour or so," Luffy said. "That's what Robin said." That was just a little too perfect.

"I'll be getting off of work around there, if you let me know where you are, I can pick you up," I offered.

"Oh, sweet, I'm where we met," Luffy said.

"Alright, I'll be there in an hour or so," I said, quoting what Luffy had said.

"Shishi, okay! Where are we going?"

"I'll tell you when I get there," I said.

"Awe, but I'm curious..." Luffy trialed off, it sounded like someone was calling him in the background.

"You'll have to wait." Luffy huffed into the phone.

"Fine, you're off the hook for now, but that's because I have to go!" Luffy said.

I chuckled and Shachi watched quietly with curiosity. "Consider me warned. I'll see you in a bit."

"See you, Torao!" The line went dead and I returned the office phone to its place.

"Boss, what was that all about?" Shachi grinned. "Did you take a personal call at work?"

"That's none of your business," I waved him off.

"Bullshit, we're friends, spill or I'll tell everyone!" Shachi yelled. I rolled my eyes.

"Yes, it was a personal call."

"A date?"

"Something like that," I muttered.

"You don't have a mark, do ya Law?" Shachi stalked across the office and leaned on my desk. I scoffed at the mere idea of a mark. 

"Please. You know that's a load of crap," I muttered. Sachi frowned but shrugged. 

"You never know."

"Did you need something?" I asked. 

"Oh! I came in here for something... what was it?" Sachi wondered. "Oh! Dressrosa is sending you a patient tomorrow morning, something about an entire team getting sick." I rubbed my forehead. 

"Okay, thanks," I grumbled. 

_

"Hiya Torao!" Luffy smiled and waved as he saw me get out of my car. He ran towards me, leaving the older man and beautiful woman. 

"It's Law," I corrected, though I didn't care much. I entertained the idea of him moaningthat name for just a moment. 

"Nah, you're Torao," Luffy insisted. I sighed. No use trying to correct him. 

"If you insist," I muttered, opening the passenger side door for him. 

"Oi! Robin, I'm leaving see you guys at the hotel!" Luffy shouted. 

"Okay, Luffy," The woman replied. Luffy waved at them before getting into my car. I shut the door for him and got in too. 

"Hey, where are we going?" Luffy buckled up as he asked. 

"The beachfront," I said, pulling from the parking space and into the street. 

"What's that?" He looked at me, tilting his head. 

"You'll see." 

"Ohhh, a surprise," Luffy hummed in excitement. 

"Something like that," I responded, turning a corner. 

"You're so cool!" Luffy exclaimed with a smile. I made sure to keep looking at the road and suppress the blush that attempted to overwhelm my face. Since when did such a simple complement leave me flustered like an awkward middle schooler. "Almost like a superhero." 

I had to laugh, "What makes you say that?"

"You're a doctor, so you save people all the time," Luffy stated. 

"I guess," I caught myself smiling again. 

  
"Woah! A Ferris wheel! Luffy exclaimed looking out the passenger window. The ferris wheel wasn't too hard to spot, we were still a few blocks away. "I've never been on one before," 

"Really?" I asked curiously. I had never met anyone who lacked the experience of a Ferris wheel.

"Nuh-huh," Luffy shook his head and we got out of the car.

"Well, what first then? We can get food or go loo-"

"Food!" Luffy declared in excitement.

"Alright." I agreed and a few turns later, I parked on the side of the road, just a short stroll from the beachfront itself. Which included, but not limited to, a woman named Nami that sounded like a bossy older sister, a man named Zoro that, from Luffy's description, was a complete airhead, and a dog called Chopper with a blue-ish nose. In that time, Luffy and I ordered and found a place to sit. And still, Luffy spoke as we ate, talking about his friends and some of the things he did with them. 

Luffy finished talking about his friends, letting his hands drop onto the table. He started talking about something else that I was too distracted to pay attention to. I saw them.

The scars.

Luffy continued taking, oblivious to everything else around him. I counted the marks, four. All perfectly rectangular scars on his wrist. He started to wave his hands about as he talked, my eyes followed his wrist. Marks, regardless of opinions, proved that someone died, usually, that was someone close. Having four was not common. I was a little amazed that he was so cheerful, and a little impressed. 

Luffy paused in his rambling. His eyes followed my gaze. Oops, I was staring. Luffy dropped his hands to his lap and looked away from me. 

"Sorry," I muttered. "I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable." There was a stretch of silence between us. 

"You're not going to ask about them, or make some comment?" Luffy asked he wouldn't meet my eyes. 

"No, that's your business," I stated. I caught glimpse of a small smile on Luffy's face as he looked down. Luffy rested his arms on the table between us. 

"Thanks," Luffy looked up at me. I shrugged. 

"Ne, Torao, can we go?" Luffy suddenly asked, I nodded and stood. 

"Alright, where to next?" Luffy asked. 

"Well there're a few rides over there," I gestured to a small cluster of attractions. "And there's a bowling alley there." I pointed out a building across the road. 

"Ohhhh, let's go to the rides," Luffy exclaimed with a huge smile. I smiled too, not being able to resist Luffys infectious grin.

"Alright," I agreed, Luffy and I made our way across the large wooden walkway. The image of Luffy's scars was still seared into my mind. I was baffled at how happy-go-lucky Luffy was. And he couldn't have been much older than 20. 

"That looks fun!" Luffy pointed to a rollercoaster, which was quite literally a ring, an O. I felt queasy just looking at it. 

"Um....."

"Shishishi, Traffy are you scared?" Luffy asked. I bit the inside of my cheek in an attempt to keep myself from blushing. 

"No," I said calmly. 

"Then what are we waiting for?" Luffy still had a huge grin on his face. 

"You," I answered. Just then Luffy headed towards the short line. Of course, I followed, substantially regretting my decision to bring Luffy here. Within minutes we were boarding the roller coaster of death.

"You look pale." Luffy pointed out. 

"I'm always pale," I retorted as the ride began to move. Why had I done this?

"Yea, but you almost match." Luffy started. I was confused at the statement before I realized he had meant my skin. I suddenly felt self-conscious about the dark and light patches that plagued my skin. Oh, the ride's about to go upside down. I grabbed tightly onto the handlebar and held my breath. The ride sped up and went around the ring several times, then moved back and forth. I hung onto the bar until my knuckles turned white. Luffy was barely touching the bar, he was whooping and shouting in _joy._

Once the ride had stopped I made sure to be one of the first off, I waited for Luffy. That was probably the most exciting ride there was. 

"You were scared." Luffy pointed out. I looked away. 

"Was not," I muttered. 

"Shishishi, liar." 

"Hey, look there's people dancing over there." I pointed out, to get Luffy to leave me alone. It worked. We wandered over to the semi-circle of people forming around the performers.   
"Look, they're so cool!" Luffy gasped, pulling on my arm.

Their style was very different from Luffy's, that's for sure. Luffy watched them intently, it didn't take a genius to figure out their repetitive pattern. As soon as Luffy picked up on the pattern, which had taken him a bit longer to figure out, he jumped in. I was a little surprised by the action. 

It was obvious the performers were confused at first. I doubted anyone noticed that though. Luffy fit in with them well. He seemed more natural with this style of dancing rather than what I had seen earlier. Well, the small part of it. Many phones were recording, people were 'wooing' and clapping. As soon as the song was over, Luffy was next to me, breathing heavily. 

"Having fun?" I asked. Luffy smiled. 

"Duh," He stuck his tongue out. 

"Hey, kid!" Someone shouted at us as we were heading to wander around some more. 

"Huh?" Luffy hummed, looking back to a man jogging up to them. This performer had dark circles under his eyes and a blue and white striped bandana

"I'm Gin, what's your name?" he introduced himself. 

"I'm Luffy," Luffy responded. 

"Luffy, where did you learn to dance like that?" 

"I just watched you guys," Luffy stated. Kaku was quiet for a moment. 

"Would you like to join us-"

"No." Luffy declared before Gin could explain any further. 

"If you wou-"

"I don't wanna," Luffy said more sternly. I bit back a laugh. 

"Why?" 

"I already dance," Luffy explained before continuing to walk onward. I followed him, trying my best not to laugh. "Where are we going now?"

"Hmm." I looked around the place. There wasn't much _I_ wanted to do. "What about that?" I gesture to a dart game. 

"Alright! I'm going to win you the biggest stuffed animal they got!" Luffy declared, grabbing my hand and pulling me over to the stand. This blush I couldn't stop.   
We came to a stop in front of the booth and Luffy dug out his wallet and slammed a 5 dollar bill onto the counter in the blink of an eye. 

He missed. Every time. 

"Let me try," I said, pulling out my own wallet and money. I didn't hit it the first time, but I got it right in the center of the board the next four times. I won the giant polar bear plushie. 

"Here," I gave the bear, which was up to my knee, to Luffy. 

"It's so cute," Luffy took the bear, happily hugging the shaped pillow to his body. The bear reminded me of Bepo. 

"What's next?" I asked, looking around the place once again. 

"The Ferris wheel, of course." Luffy declared, grabbing my hand again and pulling me towards the contraption. At least there wasn't a long wait. 

Luffy started bouncing on his heels excitedly. It was an adorable sight considering he was also hugging the stuffed bear. 

"So cool," Luffy muttered, holding onto my arm as he looked up at the Ferris wheel on amazement. I wasn't sure what to make of this predicament. Luffy was standing very close to me and with any other person on the planet, the closeness would make me extremely uncomfortable. 

We quickly made our way to the front of the line before boarding our Ferris wheel carriage. The Ferris wheel was right next to the ocean. And that was the only thing you could see, there were no rocks or islands right off the coast. Just endless ocean. 

"The ocean is so big, it's my favorite place in the world!" Luffy said as bluntly and as filled with excitement as a kid would. It made me smile. Luffy was so childish, it was simultaneously annoying and adorable. 

"Yeah?" I responded, not caring how close Luffy sat next to me or the fact that we were now at least 80 feet off the ground. 

"There's so much to explore on the ocean, and you never know what's gunna happen," Luffy explained. I nodded, watching as Luffy leaned against the plastic window to see the endless water, putting some space between us. It didn't take very long to get to the top, the Ferris wheel wasn't that big.   
Luffy still leaned against the flimsy plastic window in the carriage. 

"Ferris wheels are awesome." Luffy decided, with his nose pressed to the window. 

"Yeah," I agreed, not taking my eyes off Luffy. There was something I found captivating in the way the light made his skin glow, and the wind brushing his hair about his face. I couldn't take my eyes off him. Luffy was so bubbly and- hell, it was _refreshing_ to see. To be near. I couldn't just _fuck around with him._ He was more than that, and I knew that after spending less than a day with him. 

Fuck, I'd even call him _mark worthy._

Luffy was just a stranger, a traveling one at that. He'd be gone in a week. Maybe two. 

The ride eventually came full circle and we got off, both of us stretching. Luffy let out a big yawn.

"Ready to leave?"

"Yup," Luffy stated. We made our way to my car easily enough. 

"Where am I going?" I asked Luffy. Luffy only stared at the space ahead of him while buckled up. As if trying to come up with an answer after being called on in class. 

"Hotel," Luffy's buckle clicked. That's helpful. 

"Flevance Hotel." Luffy clarified after another moment. 

"Alright." I sighed, pulling out of my parking spot and into the traffic. Again, it didn't take long to get there. Our conversation didn't keep very long either, due to the fact that Luffy fell asleep. 

I pulled into the small hotel parking lot, unsure what to do. I didn't want to wake up Luffy but I highly doubt a hotel would just tell me if certain people were at the hotel let alone what room they'd be in. I leaned over and shook Luffy's shoulder. 

"Mrhgruf." Was the only response I got.

"Hey, Luffy-ya," I said, letting my hand run through his short, dark, choppy hair. Luffy smiled in his sleep.

"Luffy-ya," I repeated, running my hand through his hair again. Luffy jumped suddenly, he looked around the car, almost scared. It was only for an instant until Luffy yawned and smiled.

"Thanks, Traffy!" 

"Mhm," I hummed as Luffy got out of my car, taking his new bear with him. I waited until Luffy got into the building before pulling back out of the parking lot.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> edited Aug. 22 2019


	4. Phone

**_♡Law♡_ **

I stumbled out my front door with my shoes only halfway on, my hair uncombed and my shirt partially unbuttoned. I know. Very unlike me to do so. 

In truth, I woke up late. I didn't get up to my alarm. I had no explanation for it. I had back to back surgeries scheduled and I couldn't afford to be late. That and there was the patient Sachi mentioned yesterday.

I made it to my car without any casualties, tossing my phone onto the passenger seat and put one shoe on all the way so I could drive. On the way to work, I finished getting my shoes on and buttoning up my shirt. 

It took only a couple minutes to get to the hospital, once I was there, I combed my hair as efficiently as I could manage while still making a difference. I reached over to grab my phone, coming in contact with two. I stared at the two devices for a moment. 

Where did the second one come from?

_Luffy._

"That's a later problem," I mumbled to myself, taking my own phone and heading into the building. It really was, I was late and that was a _now_ problem. 

"Yo, boss!" Penguin called with a smile the moment I walked in the door. 

"But you've gotta try this!" Sachi declared, I hadn't noticed him next to Penguin. 

"What is it?" I questioned as the two began walking on either side of me. We walked down the hall as the spoke.

"FroYo," Penguin said the word as if it were obvious. Sachi held out a spoon to me. I gave him a questioning look.

"It's not used." He assured. I took the spoon and tasted the frozen yogurt. It tastes better than anything I had ever had, granted my experience with sweets was limited. 

"Not bad," I said, giving the spoon back to Sachi, knowing he didn't care that I had used it. 

"Are you kidding? This is amazing!" Penguin corrected. 

"It's from that place Jean was talking about yesterday," Sachi added. I recalled the conversation my friends were having the other day, while they were flicking papers across my desk. 

That felt like at least a week ago...

"Hm," I hummed to let the others know I acknowledged what they said. 

"Oh, you remember those robots I was talking about?" Penguin said suddenly. 

Sachi nodded. I made no response, only listened. 

"Turns out they're part of this famous group that travels the world. People call them Strawhats, but they don't really have a name." 

"How do you know that?" Sachi nudged Penguin as the three of them got onto the elevator. 

"Well, I was obviously looking to buy that thing they were selling!" Penguin exclaimed. "But that's not the point."

"Then what is?"

"I'm getting there! Stop interrupting." Penguin paused. "I was trying to say, that they're a group of 9 who all do separate things. The blond guy who made these;" Penguin gestured to the desert they both had. "is part of them." We stopped at the elevator I hit the button for the floor of my office. 

"There's also a group who dances, -well all of them dance, but this group always dances- then the inventor guys I was talking about." 

"Dances?" I mused, humoring my friends. 

"Yeah, there's three of them. I watched some videos people posted of them they're so cool!" Penguin explained.

"Wait, a second," Sachi mentally counted, moving his fingers as he did so. "You said 9, what about the other 3." 

"Well, ones a dog, the other is their manager I assume. " Penguin declared. 

"The third?" 

"I dunno, there wasn't much information on him, just that his name is Roronoa Zoro. Most of the others don't even have full names as far as the internet is concerned." 

"You need a life." Sachi sighed. The elevator dinged and slowly opened up. I stepped out of the way to let the people who were already on the elevator out. 

"With the job we have? Yeah, right." Penguin stuck his tongue out at Sachi. 

"Hey, boss?" Sachi asked. I sighed and walked into the elevator. Peng and Sachi followed. 

"Hm?" I hummed. The elevator closed, we were the only ones there. 

Sachi smirked, grabbed my arm, and managed to twist it behind me so I didn't have much liberty to move it. 

"What's _that?"_ Sachi poked my wrist. 

"What the hell are you-" There was a black mark on my wrist. What the fuck? 

"It's black!" Penguin gasped. Sachi and Penguin shared a look, then stared back at me expectantly. 

"It's just a dumb mark. It doesn't mean anything." I grumbled. "It's a chemical hiccup." 

"Awe, Boss, don't be a stick in the mud!" Peng complained. 

"Don't you guys have surgeries to prep for?" I asked the two. Though its not like they could leave right now anyway. 

"In a few minutes," Sachi waved me off examining the mark on my wrist. I jerked away from him. "It's the person you were talking to yesterday, huh?" Sachi wiggled his eyebrows. I rolled my eyes.

"Even if it is, it doesn't matter, it's just a mark," I grumbled. The doors opened and I stepped off first, walking quickly.

"Awe, boss, you're growing up so fast!" Peng hooked his arm around my shoulders. God what idiots. 

"It's a biological anomaly, it doesn't mean anything." I huffed, pushing Penguin off of me. "Go prep for surgery." The two left with only mild complaints and I went to my office. At least I have some peace for the moment. 

They didn't leave me alone for the entire operation. Because of those two, Bepo and Jean knew about the damned mark too. It wasn't there yesterday morning and it made no sense. There's no way in hell I was _in love_ with Luffy. I found him attractive, he was a hot piece of ass, who wouldn't? 

I'd love to get him into bed, but the attraction ended there. I didn't even know him very well. I wasn't _in love_ with Luffy that was flat out ridiculous. I couldn't see myself _loving_ anyone like that. 

Absolutely fucking ridiculous. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edited: Aug. 23, 2019


	5. Walks

_**♡Law♡** _

Surprisingly enough, I finished everything that needed to be done for the day rather early.   
Two days in a row. That was a rare occasion. Maybe I should stay late to get any extra work done for tomorrow?

That's right, Luffy's phone is in my car. 

I should find a way to get it back to him. He'll need it. 

With some reluctance, I cleaned up my desk and organized my papers before checking out. 

Once I got to my car, I sat in the driver seat, looking through Luffy's contacts on his phone. I was a little surprised that his phone wasn't locked, but hey, that made my job easier. 

The first contact was the name, Sabo. It was under recently contacted. I called the number.   
It rung multiple times. Before anyone answered. 

"Eh, Lu? You know it's like 3 am here!" The person called Sabo said. 

"Sorry, Luffy-ya left his phone in my car and I'm trying to get it back to him." 

"Oh, well, try calling Zoro." The man said, then hung up the phone. He had called Luffy by a nickname, they were probably really close. I didn't recall any of Luffy's friends calling him that. I wonder what their relationship was?

I looked through the contacts until I found the name Zoro. I called it. No one answered the first time.   
I called again. 

"I found it!" A voice shouted as they answered the phone. 

"Hey, it's my number!" Luffy must be on the phone. My heart started to pound. 

"Hello?" Luffy said in a happy voice. He sounded different on the phone. 

"Hi, Luffy-ya." 

"Torao?" Luffy asked. 

"Yeah," I felt my face starting to heat up in embarrassment. 

"Who's Torao?" A much deeper voice asked in the background.

"How did you get my phone?" Luffy seemed to ignore the other person. 

"You left it in my car," I stated. 

"Oh, whoops!" I could picture Luffy with his smile, scratching the back of his head. I smiled at that. 

"Where are you? I can bring it to you." I offered. There was some mumbling in the background. 

"Hotel," Luffy finally said. 

I was quiet for a moment. 

"Alright, I'll be there in a few minutes," I promised.

"Okay, see ya!" Luffy said, hanging up the phone. 

"You'll be where, in a few minutes?" Sachi asked nosily. Bepo, Jean Bart, and Penguin were by

Penguins car chatting away. 

"Does it matter?" 

"Does it have anything to do with..." Sachi tapped his wrist. 

"No," I said flatly. Sachi stared at me for a moment. 

"It does!" He decided, a huge grin crossed his face. "Hey Boss, if you tell I won't."

"Yeah, right," I muttered. 

"Oh, come on, at least tell me where you're going." 

"The old quarantined neighborhood," I said. 

"Uh, this whole town was quarantined."

"Yeah, but the end where the old church school is, was the first section to be quarantined." I reminded him. 

"Ohh," Sachi hummed. 

"Sachi! I'm not gunna wait all day!" Penguin shouted, "Hey boss!" He added, waving at me. I waved back. Well. It wasn't exactly a wave, more of a hand raise. "See ya," Sachi said. I nodded and closed the car door. 

Even driving to the other end of the town took a very short time, I made it to the old hotel within ten minutes.

I opened up Luffy's phone and added in my own contact under the nickname he had given me. That was a bit too impulsive for my taste. What was he doing to me? I looked at the mark on my wrist, boldly black. 

It was just a tally mark, that's all, it had no meaning. Right? I sighed. Fuck the stupid thing. I walked in, not entirely sure what I'd do if Luffy wasn't in the lobby, probably just call the number again. 

Luffy was waiting for me. With him was a buff, green-haired man. 

"Torao!" Luffy exclaimed, jogging up to me he smiled up at me. I blushed. 

God damn it. 

Then he hugged me, something I was it expecting. Thankfully it was a very quick hug, however, that didn't stop the blush from flooding my face. 

"Hi," I said awkwardly. "Um, here." I dug his phone from my pocket and gave to him.   
  


"Shishi, thanks," Luffy scratched the back of his head. 

"Yeah, just be more careful with it," I replied meekly. 

"I'll try!" Luffy gave me a bubbly smile.

"See ya, Mugiwara-ya," I said without a second thought. 

"Hey, what's that mean?" Luffy tilted his head adorably. 

"Text me and I'll let you know," I replied as let I the door swing closed behind me.   
I shook my head at myself, keeping my eyes on the pavement under my feet. This was _so_ stupid and pointless.

I made it to my car and made my way home. 

Once I was home I got ready for bed and did nothing but sleep...and dream. Mostly about Luffy, details are all a blur, I do recall dreaming about him. The scent which surrounded him, his smile, and his cluelessness.

I got up early the next morning, really early. I had hours before I needed to even be awake. And I couldn't get back to sleep for the life of me. Guess this is what happens when you go to sleep early. I decided to take a walk. I got dressed, slipped on shoes, and left. It was still dark out, the sun starting to peek over the horizon, and the moon still glowing brightly. The ocean brought in a cool breeze, that made the weather perfect for a thin hoodie. 

I walked for a while, getting glimpses of the dark alleys and the ocean between buildings. I walked without paying attention, I let my feet lead me where they may. It's not like much could happen at this hour anyway, in this small town. I found myself getting very near to the old quarantined neighborhood.

Wondering aimlessly, when I heard growling. I jumped, the last thing I needed was a rabid dog. I looked around and as I walked. 

"Torao?" Luffy, of course, Luffy. "Torao!" Luffy sounded genuinely happy to see me. I looked around and still couldn't find him. Standing under a street light was no help. 

"Luffy-ya?" I called. There was barking and it wasn't hard to figure out that it was a puppy. The brown dog came out of the alley, biting at my ankles. I fought the instinct to kick the innocent when it got hold of my pant leg. 

"Shishi, Chopper leave him alone!" Luffy ordered, the dog, Chopper backed off and Luffy stepped into the light. Chopper sat at Luffy's feet. 

"Torao, whatchya doing out here?" Luffy tilted his head as he spoke. I shrugged. 

"Couldn't sleep." I glanced down at the dog, he really was a cute puppy. "And you?" 

"Just taking Chopper out." 

"This far from your hotel?" I wondered. Luffy shrugged. 

"I just followed Chopper." 

"Isn't that supposed to be the other way around. 

"I don't care where we end up. And Chopper brought me to you, so it wasn't that bad of an idea." 

"In that case, mind if I join you and Chopper?"

"Sure!" Luffy smiled. 

We talked for a long time, about random things that didn't really matter. About silly things that didn't affect us in any way. We walked until the sun came up, bringing with it the warmth of summer mornings. 

It wasn't until my alarm went off that I realized I still had to work. 

"I've got to get going, Mugiwara." 

"Okay, Torao," Luffy said. "See you!" I waved as I left. The was he said that nickname it a little differently this time. Maybe I _was_ in love with him. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edited Aug. 23, 2019


	6. Date-ish

_**♡Law♡** _

"Alright, Trafalgar. Spill." A familiar voice demanded as I walked into my home. 

"Fai?" I recognized that voice immediately. Baby 5. My cousin, my pain in the ass, and my best friend. 

"Who else?" The woman stepped in front of me with her hands on her hips, her long, black hair was pulled into a half-assed bun.

"I thought you were visiting _him."_

"To keep tabs on him, I can't stand him any more than you can." Fai reminded me. "That's beside the point. I saw you last night. Who was that guy?" 

"What are you talking about?" I asked in confusion, rubbing my temples. I had gotten little sleep and now a throbbing headache was pounding against my temples. 

"Last night you were walking around near your old neighborhood with a guy," Fai explained. Oh, right. I didn't remember any kind of car passing us last night. How could she have seen us?

"Oh, he's no one important." I sighed. 

"You can't hide anything from me." She pointed out, grabbing my arm and turning my wrist upward. I rolled my eyes. It was infuriating how hell-bent everyone was to these tally marks. 

"What's his name?" 

"Luffy-ya," I answered in defeat. 

"Ah, now we're getting somewhere!" Fai announced happily. 

"Where did he come from?" I paused, I didn't know where Luffy was from, I didn't even know Luffy all that well. 

"I don't know." I shrugged. 

"Well, why is he here?" 

"He travels, with a group of friends, they're street performers," I explained as best I could. 

"Wait, you've got a thing for someone who's spontaneous enough to live off street performing?!" Fai started to giggle madly. "Seriously?" She said through her fits of laughter. I frowned. 

"Awe, I'm only teasing you," Fai said once she had composed herself. 

"Are you done?" I asked. She hesitated, placing her index finger on her chin as if she were contemplating something. 

"For now I suppose." She declared, walking into my living room. 

"So tell me all about this guy you've got a thing for." 

I sighed, I had given up on trying to keep any part of my life from Fai years ago. 

"I don't have a _thing_ for him, and I don't really know him much," I said honestly, I tried to grasp what I knew about Luffy. It was a very small amount. I knew he liked food, especially if it consisted of a dead animal. He also cared a lot about his friends. And he was impulsive, even childish, and a klutz. These things I told Fai and she only listened and smiled. 

"Sounds like Cora." Fai finally said.

"I suppose," I agreed. "Luffy-ya's not that much of a klutz though." 

"Hm," Fai hummed to herself. "So when is he leaving?" 

"What?" I asked. 

"When is Luffy leaving? You said he traveled a lot." Fai repeated. I stared at her blankly. I had never thought of that. It made sense to think of that...

"I don't know..." 

"So he could be leaving town right now. You would never see him again, you'd be with that nice black mark and never really get over it." Fai pointed out. I didn't have a response to that. She was right. But I didn't care for this ridiculous tally mark system anyway. So why did her words scare me?

"Do you know where he is?" Fai asked. 

"Maybe." I didn't really intend to answer that question verbally. 

"Than what are doing here? Go get him. Take him on a date. Then take him home and kiss him goodnight." Fai ordered. I blushed at the thought of doing any of that. 

"No way," I stated. 

"Awe, Law! C'mon, stop living in a shell," Fai grumbled. 

"I can't," I argued. 

"Why not?" She asked. "What's stopping you?" I didn't respond. 

"Is he dating someone? Does he believe he's straight? Law, the mark is _black._ Not red. Black." Fai said firmly. Locking her eyes onto my own. 

"Your going." She demanded sternly after a long period of silence. Fai grabbed my keys and fumbled with them until she held my house key separate from the rest. 

"You, out," Fai demanded. " You can come back in when you get home. She pushed me back out the door and closed it behind me. I heard the deadbolt click. Shortly afterward it clicked again and Fai shoved my car key and wallet into my hand. Then officially locked me out of my own house. I guess I didn't really have much of a choice. At least that's what I told myself when I got into the car and headed for that same spot I had met Luffy at.

To my luck, Luffy was still there. He was talking to a tall woman I recognized but forgot the name of. Luffy noticed immediately and smiled. He jogged up to my rolled down the window. 

"Hiya, Torao! What are you doing here?" He asked with a big smile. 

"Seeing if you want to go to the movies with me," I stated. I hadn't even previously thought where I might take him before those words left my lips.

"Sure!" Agreed happily, getting in my car without having to be asked to. 

"See ya later," he shouted out my window to his friends, who seemed to have just finished cleaning up.

"What are we gunna go see?" He asked. 

I shrugged. "What do you want to see?" Luffy thought about it for a little while.

"Geostorm!" Luffy finally decided, full of energy. 

"Alright," I agreed with a small smile. 

"Hey, Torao?" Luffy asked, twisting in his seat to somewhat face me. 

"Hm?" I hummed, glancing at him, then returning my eyes to the road ahead of me. 

"What are your friends like?" I wasn't sure how to respond, most of the time they annoyed me. They were lively, they would drag me out of my lifeless schedule and make sure I did something fun, even if I didn't consider it to be. 

"They're loud and even annoying. They're also great people," I explained. Luffy nodded, this I saw from the corner of my eye. He seemed to understand what I meant. 

"My friends are kinda like that," Luffy smiled. 

"Yeah?" I hummed. Luffy nodded. 

I pulled into the theaters parking lot, found a space, and got out of the car. Luffy and I then walked into the building and got in line for tickets. 

Once I had paid for our tickets, we still had a good 15 minutes before the movie was supposed to start, so we got in line again, this time for snacks. 

We both settled for popcorn and sodas, Luffy, of course, got the biggest size he could. Then the two of us went to find our seats. 

I ended up not paying a whole lot of attention to the movie, I was too distracted by my own thoughts. Mostly about Luffy. He was sitting next to me, fully attuned to the movie. I looked down at the deep black mark that stood out against my uneven skin tones. I had never had a huge interest in love. And I had always thought the tally marks were ridiculous. How could skin change based on emotional pulls? That was always my train of thought. 

It was different now. 

The movie ended soon enough. On our way out Luffy grabbed my hand and I couldn't help but blush. 

"That was a good movie," Luffy stated. I nodded, I had paid attention to the movie, to a degree.

"You don't really talk much. Huh?" Luffy observed bluntly. 

"Yeah," I agreed, focusing on the back of the woman's head in front of me. I knew Luffy was looking up at me, and I knew if I met his gaze I would become flustered. We got out to the parking lot and made it back to my car. 

"Your hotel?" I asked Luffy nodded. As I started the car, the radio sprung to life, playing music, Luffy began to nod his head to the beat and hum to the lyrics. I headed yet again to that part of town. 

The entire street was dark, not too unusual, as was the hotel. Not even the lobby lights were on. 

"Thanks, Torao! I had fun!" Luffy claimed, unbuckling as I pulled to a stop in front of the building. 

"Me, too," I replied. Luffy hesitated before reaching for the handle. 

"Luffy-ya," I gained his attention before he could even pull the handle, my palms grew sweaty for whatever reason. I leaned over the space between the two seats and kissed him. My heart pounded in my chest. This was something even I didn't see coming. Why? With these stupid impulses. This is why I stay in my goddamned house. 

A million things seemed to overcome me at that moment, one being a blush so intense I actually started to sweat. His lips were incredibly soft and as cheesy as it might sound, kissing Luffy was intoxicating. I could think, goosebumps rose on the back of my arms. 

I pulled away almost immediately, flushed with embarrassment. Luffy hadn't moved, he looked surprised, I didn't blame him. Within a heartbeat, Luffy closed the gap and returned the kiss. This one lasted a little longer. Luffy's fingertips brushed the back of my hand, I wanted to pull him closer. This time we both parted, equally shocked. My heart still rattled in my ribcage. Luffy smiled. 

"That was nice," Luffy quietly said, his face tinted pink, I nodded, no doubt blushing just as much as Luffy. What a stupid response. 

"See ya, Torao." He got out of my car and closed the door. I watched Luffy walk into the building. Leaving me staring after him. The lobby lights flickered on as he entered. I rested my forehead on the steering wheel, smiling to myself like an idiot. I ran my fingers over the mark on my left wrist.

"Yeah, just stupid marks..." I muttered

What has he done to me?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edited Aug, 23, 2019


	7. Sanji

_**♤Luffy♤** _

I couldn't keep the smile from my face as I entered the hotel. Torao kissed me! I kissed him back! I rocked back and forth on my feet, waiting for the elevator to stop at my floor. I don't remember that last time I was this happy over a kiss. It was something so silly to be this happy over.I noticed the mark on my wrist this morning, well, really Robin noticed and asked about it. Torao was really cool, I'm glad it was him. I like him a lot. 

The elevator stopped and I walked down the hall to my room, I got there, hearing noises from behind the door. I tilted my head curiously and tried to open it. It was locked. 

Zoro and Sanji were making a lot of noise. Moaning-oh. 

"Really?" I mumbled. No way in hell was I getting in there tonight, nor did I want to. Those assholes! I called Law, knowing that I probably shouldn't since he was driving and all.

"Hey," Law answered. 

"Have you gotten home yet?" I asked. 

"No, why?" Law asked he sounded a little concerned.

"Could you come back and get me?" 

"Is something wrong?" 

"No, my asshole roommates locked me out." 

"You don't have a key?"

"No, besides, I wouldn't want to go in there right now even if I did," I huffed and leaned against the wall across from my room door. 

"Wh- _oh_." Law paused. "I'll be there in a minute." He assured, hanging up the phone. I made it back down to the lobby and only waited a few moments before Laws car stopped in front of the building. I quickly got back into Laws car. 

"You're the best!" I exclaimed, buckling my seatbelt. 

"If you say so," Law smiled, "where do you want to go?" 

I shrugged. "Anywhere," Law nodded. 

Within a few minutes, Law pulled to a stop in front of a small house. It wasn't like the other buildings I had seen when I got here. This building looked newer, It was painted an off white, like most the town was. There wasn't a huge front yard, and there was no fence to frame it. Yes. The house was dark, all except the porch light.

"Oh! Torao, is this your house?" I asked curiously as Law got out of the car. 

"Mhm," he hummed, I followed him down the short pavemented path that leads to his front door. Law flicked the lights on as we walked in, his house was clean like he was rarely home, kind of clean. The place still smelt very much like Law did, that might be a creepy statement. But it was true. 

"Want something to eat?" Law asked. He knew me so well. 

"Definitely," I responded, sitting on the couch, which was so comfy! Shortly after, I heard a microwave turn on in the kitchen. Law came back into the living room, he handed me a TV remote without a word and went back to the kitchen as the microwave beeped for his attention. I turned on the TV and flipped through channels. There wasn't a whole ton that was any good. 

"Anything interesting?" Law asked.

"Not really," I replied. Law nudged my shoulder with something warm. I turned only to be greeted with an amazing container of cup noodles. 

"Thanks!" I said, gratefully taking the container. Law sat down next to me with his own cup noodles. He leaned back and watched the TV as I continued to channel surf and eat my noodles. 

"How long are you staying here?" Law asked suddenly, I stopped with my insistent remote clicking and looked over at Law. 

"I think Nami said three weeks," I replied. "How come?" 

"I was just curious." Law shrugged. I watched him as he poked at his own ramen.   
I finished off the last couple bites and gulped down the broth. 

"Garbage?" I question Law nodded towards the kitchen. I disposed of the ramen cup in its proper place and the fork in its proper place and returned to the living room. Law was still starring thoughtfully at his noodles while some show played on the TV. I went back to the couch and poked Laws cheek. He looked up and frowned. 

"Whatchya thinking about?" I asked tilting my head. Law blushed, he looked so cute.

"Nothing important..." He sighed. 

"You sure?" I asked, causing him to blush even more. Law nodded and looked away from me to the TV. I sat next to him, closer than I had been before, Laws blush traveled down his neck and to his ears. 

"Shishi," I laughed, not being able to help it he was just too cute! 

"What's so funny?" Law questioned. 

"You're blushing," I said honestly. He blushed even more. "It's cute," I added. I think I wanted to kiss him again, I don't know why I didn't. 

Law I opened his mouth to speak but said nothing, I turned my attention back to the TV, leaning against Law. At first, his body stiffened at my action, then he relaxed.

-

I woke up early in the morning. It had to be early the sun was up but it _felt_ early. Torao was underneath me. The rise and fall of his chest was comforting. He was comfortable to snuggle with. Torao wrapped his arm around me. 

I looked up at him. Was he awake? 

The answer was no. My head fell back onto his chest and I pressed my face into his shirt. Torao smelt nice too. I closed my eyes and fell back asleep. 

I yawned and stretched out on Laws couch. My phone had been ringing a lot the past hour or so, I ignored until now. What happened to Law? Wasn't he here just a moment ago?

"Zoro?" I asked, finally answering my phone. 

"Where are you?" Zoro sounded panicked and worried, not many would notice it, but I could, and probably Sanji too. That spiked my own anxiety 

"Torao's" I answered simply. Zoro muttered something I couldn't quite hear. 

"There was an accident, Sanji's hurt." He explained after a short pause. 

"What where is he?" I jumped up, gathering up my things, including the note Law left.   
  


"We're at the hospital," I nodded though Zoro couldn't see me. 

"Ne, Zoro?" I asked. "Sanji will be fine," I could tell Zoro was worried. He wasn't very good at showing emotions. But I could always tell, even when Sanji couldn't. 

"How would you know?" Zoro asked, his tone was accusing, I know he didn't mean it that way. I let myself out of Laws house, making sure to lock the door. I wasn't sure how to get to the hospital but it was a small town I'd figure it out. 

"Because it's Sanji!" I declared, heading down the road. Zoro muttered something again."I'll be there soon!" I said before hanging up. It'd take a while but I'd get my bearings.

_

"Luffy!" Franky shouted, calling my attention to the direction they were in. 

"Hiya!" I smiled at all of them. Everyone except Chopper was here... and Sanji. Zoro had his head down in his hands, he rocked slightly in his seat. I sat next to him and tapped the back of his hand, Zoro grabbed my hand and squeezed hard, he was scared. No one seemed to notice this. Zoro was really just a big softy. "Is he okay?" 

"The nurses won't say anything..." Nami explained, she was staring at the doors that were labeled "Authorized Personel Only." 

Everyone was quiet, and of course worried about Sanji, Zoro would occasionally squeeze my hand, and I'd squeeze back just to reassure him. 

"Where is his room?" I asked curiously. 

"He's still in surgery." Robin cut in. I nodded. This must have been why Law had to leave so quickly. It felt like hours until I notice Law come out from behind the doors. He had blood all over the scrubs he wore, and his hair was askew. The bags under his eyes looked darker. 

"Vinsmoke, Sanji." He called out looking around the waiting room. His gaze lingered on me as he swept the crowd. 

Zoro and I jumped up at the same time, the others followed, Zoro let go of my hand as we did so. Law looked at me quizzically and shook his head. 

"He had glass shards throughout most of his body, which was easy to remove. There was also a piece of metal in his thigh which nicked the main artery. We managed to get it out. So he should be fine." Law quickly explained. He must be used to this. Zoro sighed in relief. "You can see him in room 300, but only three at a time please," Law added. Law met my eyes for a moment then looked away. 

"Thank you," Nami said with a big smile. Law nodded and walked off, he was obviously busy.   
She turned to us with confidence. "Alright, first Zoro, Luffy, and Usopp will go, then Franky, and Robin, then me and Brook." She was plainly leaving room for Zoro to stay the entire time, no one argued. The three of us went to find Sanji's room. We got there and Sanji was sitting up and staring up at the wall. Zoro rushed to his side, pulling the nearest chair closer to the bed. 

"Hiya Sanji!" I said happily. I knew he'd be okay! Sanji smiled. 

"Hey, Luffy," Sanji returned the smile. Zoro grabbed Sanji's hand and kissed it. 

"Stupid cook, I was worried about you," he muttered. Sanji gave Zoro a smile. 

"Serves you right," Sanji said. Usopp sat down in a chair across from Zoro and I sat next to him. 

"I'm glad you're okay," Usopp patted Sanji's shoulder. "But what happened?"

Sanji began to explain how he'd been taking his things to his set up area when the bus he was on swerved as if to avoid something. The driver easily lost control and hit a building and rolled. 

"I'm obviously fine, when did the doctor say I could leave?" Sanji asked once he had finished his story. 

"He didn't say," Usopp said. Sanji sighed. 

"That's annoying." He muttered. Zoro nodded in agreement. We were all quiet. 

"What about you Luffy? You never came back last night." Sanji asked raising an eyebrow. 

"Eh? Where were you, Luffy?" Usopp nudged me with his elbow.

"I just went to Torao's," I explained, not really understanding why the tone of their voices changed like that. 

"Who's 'Torao'?" Sanji asked with a smirk. I think he was trying to imply something. I wasn't sure. 

"A friend," I said, though after last night we might be more than friends. 

"Just a friend?" Zoro asked, also wearing a smirk. 

"I think so..." I tapped my chin. 

"Think so?" Sanji mused. 

"Yeah," I said, nodding my head. 

"Then whats-" Usopp started

"Tch," Zoro hummed, Usopp looked over to him Zoro shook his head. I looked at them very confused, what was that all about?

"Oh, he was the one who did surgery on you too," I added. 

"The guy who talked to us?" Usopp questioned. I nodded.

"So everyone but me has already met this guy?" Sanji asked he sounded like that hurt his feelings. 

"You'll meet him soon I'm sure," I tried to reassure him. My three friends laughed, I was confused again. The four of us continued to talk until it was time to switch.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aug. 23, 2019


	8. Cocoyashi

_**《Zoro》** _

I cracked my knuckles and unrolled the cloth that held my three swords. I had a job to do in the next town over. A bounty worth 20,000. I couldn't care less why the government wanted him dead. But no one else had taken his head yet so it's my turn at it. 

This job wasn't something I was overly proud of, but someone was going to do it either way. If I do it at least I know the death will be quick. 

It's a sickening job, being an assassin. Right now, there was no way to get out of it. I made a deal. I made my choice a long time ago. The scar on my chest was a reminder of that. It is what it is and I wouldn't take back my decision. 

Arlong, back to him. Sure, Luffy had knocked some sense into the guy a while back but now I was assigned to kill him. 

What a small world. I made sure my swords were sharp and ready before rolling them back up. I'd have to take a train to the big city where Arlong was hiding.

Sanji was going into the city with me. He insisted on it. But he wasn't going to go anywhere near where I was going. I wasn't sure what he was going to do. He just got out of the hospital, he should be staying in bed so his leg can heal. 

"Marimo?" Sanji asked from our room door. "You ready?" I nodded. I followed Sanji out of the hotel room and down into the town. Sanji shifted his weight off the temporary cane he had no choice but to use. 

"I wish you'd stay, I don't want you to get any more hurt than you already are," I muttered.

"After Kid, I won't let you go on these alone," Sanji said. "No matter what, and you know that. You shouldn't have had to make that decision by yourself." 

"It wouldn't have gone down any differently," I stated. 

"I know that," Sanji snapped. "You still shouldn't have done it on your own. I can tell you still blame yourself."

"It was my fault, I shouldn't have told him."

"It _wasn't."_ Sanji was starting to get annoyed. I sighed and dropped the topic. 

Sanji and I walked to the train station, though it was short, it still hurt Sanji. He didn't say anything but I knew better. We got onto the train with a few other people, it only took about twenty minutes to get to the city I had long forgotten the name of. 

Once we were off Sanji grabbed me by my shirt and pulled me into a kiss. 

"Don't do anything too crazy, Marimo." He said. 

"I won't if you won't, old man," I retorted. Sanji poked my side. We kissed again and went our separate ways.

I found Arlongs hideout soon enough. It wasn't that hard, there's a giant sign that says "Arlong Park" above the place.there were to guards at the front gate, but no one circled around the wall that surrounded the building. Dumb move. I went around the back of the building and unrolled my swords once more. I took the time set all three of them at my hip. Nothing felt more natural than the weight of my three swords. I climbed to the top of the wall and surveyed my surroundings. 

There were a few of Arlong's men scattered about. None of them seemed to be assigned a job, they were just there. It was annoying. The building wasn't too far away from the wall. If I ran I could make it easy. Everyone seemed to be in groups, and they were all very occupied in what they were doing. If I dropped down they probably wouldn't even notice me. 

So I stepped off and landed with a quiet _thud._ I shifted my feet out in front of me, leaned against the wall and closed my eyes almost completely. A man glanced up at me but shrugged and continued talking to his group. This place must be big if they blindly accept an unrecognized face.

I waited a little while, yawned and stretched all before standing and heading to the back entrance. I easily slipped in. It was like this guy wasn't even aware he was a target. 

I had apparently entered a bar of sorts. Men and women were drinking or eating. Good, a lot can be overheard here. Especially since it's not public. I sat down and asked for a beer. I was given no questions asked. I listened in. One group was talking about me. Nothing too alarming. Just the almost neon color of my hair. Another group was talking about their family. Another about a mission. And two in the corner muttering about Arlong. It was in pieces. I couldn't hear all of it.

"We'll have to -" 

"-Arlong's permission-"

"Rekon-" 

"-in his room?"   
  


"-would Arlong be-"

"Right. " The two stood. I chugged down my drink and followed them. It wasn't too hard to put the pieces together. I kept a safe distance, it was easy to blend in. There were several people wandering the halls. I was no sore thumb. The two stopped and knocked a pattern into the door.

I quickly memorized it, silently tapping it against the wall myself. They were let in and the door shut. I waited in the shadows of the hallway for a long time. The two men scampered out. 

"We did it!" On jumped with glee, the other just nodded. I pressed myself closer to the wall, they continued down the hall. 

I waited for several minutes after they were out of sight before going up to the door and repeating the pattern. The door was opened by a man I recognized from the last time I was here.   
He recognized me too. Go time.

"A-" he was about to call Arlong. I put a stop to that quickly with my blade. I pushed the body in the room and closed the door, locking it from the inside. The room was large and open, and the end of the from was a desk and chair, there Arlong sat with his back to me. I took light steps towards him, not making a sound. I brought my single blade up to the back of the man's head in one fluid motion. 

"Roronoa." He said quietly. It didn't surprise me that he knew I was there, I could probably see my reflection in the window. 

"You were with that group that my geologist left with," Arlong hummed. I said nothing. 

"Why are you back?" Did he not know his head was wanted? I shook my head and drew my other sword. Using both the blades I ran them through the back of his head. The adrenaline flooded in. What I had done was quick and painless. I wiped the blood onto the shirt Arlong wore and sheathed my swords. I pulled out the phone I used specifically for this. It was my assigned phone. Through this, the airport's knew not to search my bags, police knew to release me if I were ever arrested. I called my boss. I guess that's what you'd call the man. 

"It's done." I hung up. That's all I had to do, I didn't even need to touch the body. Just make sure no one else saw it. I rolled my swords back up. Within twenty minutes there was a knock on the door, again in a pattern but not the same one as before. I opened it. Aokiji. I stepped out without a word to him and left. I walked right through the front gates. No-one stopped me. A man with three swords. It was almost too easy. I circled around the bag of the building and found the roll for my swords sitting right where I had left it.

I was walking back to the train station, Sanji should be waiting for me there.   
There were police all over the streets and news flashed announcing Arlongs death on big screens. They must have wanted it this way. No one would know for a while if the world government didn't want them too. A cop pulled up to the curb where I was walking. He stepped out of his car and waved at me I nodded to him in response. The guy watched me walk down the road. I wasn't sure why he didn't stop me. The train station was also scattered with police. One of them was talking to Sanji. Sanji noticed me. 

"There he is," Sanji said as I approached them. Sanji grabbed my hand. It seems I was just in time because a train pulled into the station. 

"Where was it that you said you were from?" The police lady asked. 

"We're not really from anywhere, we travel a lot," Sanji answered. 

"Why's that?" She looked suspiciously at both of us. 

"Ever heard of a group called the Strawhats?" Sanji asked with a smile. 

"I have," she confirmed. We were going to miss the train if this continued. 

"Well that's why, and we really need to be on that train," Sanji said, pulling me towards it.

She was persistent. "What exactly is in that?" She gestured to my swords, walking alongside us. I reached to pull out my work phone so she'd leave us alone. I showed it to her and she was shocked for a moment I quickly pocketed it. What? The badge on the back of it was to keep me from being arrested. She fell behind and muttered something into her radio.

"Go," I said, Sanji moved as quickly as he could with his hurt leg and his cane. We managed to get onto the train just as the doors closed. 

"What's going on?" Sanji asked letting go of my hand. 

"I don't know," I replied, keeping away from him. I didn't like to touch Sanji after I had just murdered someone. 

"We're going to have to leave aren't we?" Sanji asked. 

"I don't know," I muttered. My phone rang. My work phone Sanji and I exchanged glances before I answered it. 

"Roronoa," Akainu said. 

"That's my name," I responded with all seriousness. 

"You are staying in Flevance correct?" He asked, straight to the point. Works for me. 

"Yes." 

"You'll have two days to get out of there," Akainu explained. 

"Why?" 

"It's an order. All the strawhats need to be out of there." 

"Alright." The call ended. How the Government had found out so quickly I wouldn't know. Either way, they know, and regardless of Luffy's connection to the Revolutionaries, they'd look for me. 

"That's a yes then?" Sanji already knew the answer. "How long?" 

"We have to leave Flevance in two days at the latest. The sooner the better." Sanji sighed. 

"I'll call Nami." He pulled out his phone and did just that. "I kinda like Flevance..."

"Me too," So much for two weeks left.


	9. Terminals

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I what was in chapter ten into two chapters!

_**♤** _ _**Luffy♤** _

Nami pulled up to our spot and jumped out of the car. She waited for us to finish off our dance before. Running up to us. We gathered near Brooks instruments. 

"Something went wrong with Zoro's assignment, we have to leave, Sanji said the sooner the better. So we have a midnight flight to Dressrosa." Nami explained Brook and Robin nodded. Something sunk into my stomach. I didn't want to leave yet. I _really_ didn't want to leave. 

"What happened?" I asked.   
"It was an order. I don't want to mess with the government, we're just going to leave." Nami said.

"I don't want to yet," I argued. 

"Luffy-"

"I have a mark here!" I admitted, louder than I probably should have. Nami went quiet.

"Why didn't you say that before!? It doesn't matter right now, Luffy, it's not like we can't come back, right now we need to get out of here," Nami pressed her lips into a flat line. "Try to let them know before we leave if you can." 

"Have you told Franky and Usopp yet?" Robin asked.

"No, you guys are closer," Nami answered. 

"Go back to the hotel and start packing." She ordered. I still didn't want to leave. 

Still, I sent Law a text, _Stuff came up and I'm leaving town._

Robin, Brook and I walked back to the hotel, it took a little while. But by the time I got to my room, Law still hadn't replied. I tried calling him.

No answer. Well, he was a doctor, so he was probably busy. Doctors are busy most the time right? My heart sank a little when I realized I probably wouldn't see him before I left. 

I started to pack up my stuff, once that was done I went to Zoro's and Sanji's stuff. I got a text back from Law.   
_  
_

_When? Why?_

_Flight leaves at mi_ _dnight_ _._ Was all I replied with. 

I finished up packing what was in my room and checked my messages again. Nothing. Soon Nami came to check on me. 

"Everything ready to go?" She asked. I nodded. 

"Good," Nami walked through the room, looking through the bathroom, and around the room before sitting on the bed. 

"How long have you know this mark?" Nami asked, smiling gently. 

"The first night we got here!" I explained to Nami how I met Law. She laughed when I was finished.

"That sounds like something from a movie." She said. "I wish you could stay, but Sanji made it clear all of us needed to leave." 

"It's okay, I can come back," I stated. Nami nodded. 

"I'm going to pick up Sanji and Zoro, you should help Franky and Usopp, Chopper will need to be taken out too," Nami explained. I nodded.

We both left the room. Brook and Usopp were still cramming things into suitcases, Chopper was rolling around on the bed and chewing on a blanket. 

"Could you take Chopper out?" Usopp asked. I nodded. 

"Chopper," I called. The puppy jumped up and ran towards me. We both went outside into the town. Chopper did his business and I took him back up to the rooms. Usopp and Brook had pretty much everything finished. 

I checked on Robin and Franky. Robin was reading a book called _Curse of the Blue Tattoo_ while Franky was shoving his last contraption into a box. All seemed well. I returned to my room just as Zoro and Sanji got here. Zoro immediately went into the bathroom without a word. Sanji was quiet.

It felt like only a few minutes before Nami came in telling us we were leaving. The nine of us filed out and checked out of the hotel. Nami had apparently already taken the car back to the place it came from and we walked under the stars and streetlights to the airport.

Torao hadn't texted me back still. It made me anxious. I really wanted to see him before I left. Going through bag checks and all that seemed to take forever. We were all on edge. Even Zoro didn't give a reason for leaving early. 

The flight for Dressrosa was leaving in an hour and still nothing from Law... 

Finally, it was time to go. I walked with Zoro to the terminal. The walk felt longer than it did when we landed here from Water 7. 

I stared at my feet as I walked, a little disappointed that Torao didn't come to see me. I was already missing him. We weren't even _together._ Sure we kissed and cuddled a little bit but that wasn't anything...

"Luf," Zoro nudged my side. 

"What?" I asked, looking up at him, frowning. 

"Look," Zoro nodded over his shoulder. I looked back, Torao was there. Torao! He was being restrained by a security guard. I grinned. He came! He was here to see me. I left my bag with Zoro and ran to him. 

"Luffy-ya!" Law shouted. The guard let go of Torao and he straightened out his clothes a bit. Just in time for me to wrap my arms around him. 

"I thought you weren't going to come," I said quietly. 

"Well, I had to come say, bye, to my mark." Law seemed to second guess his words but he didn't say anything that told me otherwise. I bit my lip. 

Yeah, Torao was my mark. I hadn't had a mark in nearly a year. Kid was still fresh in the back of my mind. But my mark was black. What was it Ace had always said? Follow your heart or something like that.

I grabbed Law's shirt and kissed him. There was a small gasp and I wasn't sure if it had been Torao, me, or the guard. I wrapped my arms around his neck. Torao wrapped his arms around my waist and brought me a little closer to him as we kissed. 

It was all so fast I could hardly catch my breath. I pulled away from his lips slowly. My heart pounded in my chest. Law left another, quick kiss on my lips. Like he couldn't get enough. 

"Be my boyfriend?" The words left Torao quickly and in one breath. 

"Definitely," I decided. We kissed again. 

"Luffy!" Nami called. I needed to go. 

We kissed one more time. 

"I'll call you when we land," I promised. Law nodded and his hands fell from around my waist. And Law let me go. I glanced back at him right before we left the building.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edited Aug. 23, 2019


	10. Dressrosa

_**♤** _ _**Luffy** _ _**♤** _   
  


I threw my suitcase onto the new hotel bed and pulled out my phone. Usopp, Zoro, and Sanji had put their own bags onto their bed too. The phone rang once, twice. 

"Hey, Mugiwara-ya" Torao answered, sounding like he just woke up. 

"Hiya, Torao." I yawned. "We're in Dressrosa!" 

"That's good," Law replied. He yawned too. 

"It's so cool here!" I said. 

"Mhm," Law said, yawning again.   
  


"I'm super tired so I'll talk to you later," I said. 

"Okay," Law said sleepily. The call ended and I moved my bag onto the floor, crawled into bed and went to sleep.

Everyone woke up late the next morning. We dragged ourselves out of bed and forced ourselves to wander the city. Dressrosa was a lot bigger than Flevance after all. We broke up into groups, exploring different parts of the city. 

"Robin!" I exclaimed, suddenly remembering the flash mob I had seen with Law in Flevance. "We should do a flashmob here with the others." 

"Oh?" Robin asked. 

"Yeah! Right in the center of town, like we used to do!" I said, bouncing back and forth on my feet. "We could pre-record Brook playing music for us too!" 

Robin exchanged a glance with Brook who nodded. 

"Well, if the others are up for it, what can it harm?" Robin asked. "It may take a while though."

"I'm sure Nami will want to, considering how much money we lost leaving Flevance so early," Brook said. 

"This will be so cool!" I jumped in excitement. 

We found a spot we liked, it had a lot of foot traffic and it was close to the center of the city. Then we made our way back to the hotel Nami had booked. This hotel was a lot nicer than the last, and it had huge suites that the whole group could stay in one. Nami said this way was the most cost-efficient. 

The suite has two rooms, each with two beds which meant everyone would share a bed, and it had a small living room area. I was sharing a room with Sanji, Zoro, and Usopp, while Nami, Robin, Brook, and Franky were in the other room. And Chopper was where ever he felt like being.|

WhenI got back and Nami, Zoro, and Sanji were already back. 

"Hi, guys!" I said, sitting on the ground by the couch where they all sat. They seemed to be watching the news. It was about Arlong being dead. I glanced at Zoro only to look back up at the TV. It talked about how the revolutionaries were suspected of it. Zoro balled and un-balled his fists. I stopped paying attention to it after that. Soon the others came back too. Nami ordered pizza for everyone. We enjoyed our food and talked amongst ourselves with the T.V playing in the background. Robin took this time to explain my idea. 

"That sounds like a lot of work." Usopp pointed out, twisting and popping his back. 

"It sounds like a lot of money." Nami corrected with a greedy smile. "We're all going to do it. We could really use the money right now." Usopp sighed. 

"When are we gunna start?" Sanji asked curiously. 

"How long are we going to stay?" Robin questioned. Nami counted up something on her fingers. 

"Three, maybe four weeks." 

"Tomorrow," Robin answered. "I'll have come up with a plan by then." 

"Alright!" I said excitedly.

The next morning Robin woke us all up like usual when she came up with a new routine. She explained it to everyone first, then showed us using the songs she wants Brook to use. Robin made sure everyone had their parts explained to them before letting us get ready for what we were actually supposed to be doing today. Once everyone was finished with their daily tasks we were going to start practicing.

Nami said she was going to be taking pictures for various social media today. With all that said and done the three of us went out into the city. People were constantly walking around on the streets, all over town. There were other people in the center of the city dancing or playing instruments from all different walks of life.

There were tons of different restaurants and little stores. Flevance had been cool and all, but it was just too quiet, here I could feel the excitement in the air. The entire town seemed to have a theme too, every building was painted with bright variations of color. I love places like Dressrossa. 

"Wow, we've got a lot of competition," Brook observed, looking around the area we picked to set up. 

"That's okay! It'll make things fun!" I said gladly. Robin smiled and took a drink from her water bottle.

"Ready when you are!" Brook announced. We got into position to start. Not really.

"What do you think you're doing?!" A strange guy with long blond hair demanded. 

"Huh?" I asked, why was this guy so angry?

"Is there a problem?" Robin asked curiously. 

"Yeah! You're in my spot." The guy stated, the feather in his massive hat bobbed up and down as he yelled. 

"Brook?" Robin asked. 

"Hm?"

"Was there a reserved sign in this spot?" She asked. 

"I didn't see one," Brook stated. I realized what she was doing, I couldn't resist the smile that spread across my face. 

"Did you, Luffy?" Robin asked. The guy seemed to grow nervous at the mention of my name. 

"Shishi, Nope!" I said. Robin nodded. 

"Well, it seems this spot is first come, first serve," Robin said, much the guys annoyance. 

"My name is Cavendish, and in this town, _I_ run things here!" He said confidently. 

"What kind of name is Cabbage?" I mumbled, not really thinking he would hear me, but also not caring if he did. He was pissed. 

"Calm down you're highness, they're new here." Said another newcomer. She had long dark hair and a tight dress. 

"Violet..." Cabbage growled. 

"There, there," Violet said calmly, patting Cavendish's cheek. "Let them be." She pulled the man away from us. 

"That was weird," I stated. 

"I couldn't agree more," Brook said. 

"Shall we?" Robin asked. Brook readied his instrument. And this time we really did start. The time we spent in Dressrosa was pretty normal, practice, work, fun, repeat. 

Usopp and Nami caught on pretty quickly to their steps, Zoro and Franky....not so much. Robin continued to change their parts to suit them better but Franky just didn't have the grace, it was funny to watch.   
After two weeks, when Sanji was able to move around on his own, he got his moves down quickly. Then, eventually, everyone got the hang of it. So no complications. I woke up and pushed Usopps leg off of me. I stretched and pulled the warm blanket up to my chin. 

Today was our last day here. It was also the day we'd perform. I smiled and reached out for my phone. I had a message from Torao!

 _Good morning, Mugiwara-ya,_ I smiled at the message. I still didn't know what Mugiwara meant but that's okay!

 _Morning_ _Torao!_ I replied, dropping my phone onto the mattress and letting out a sigh. 

"Good morning boys!" Nami yelled, with our door flying open. We all groaned. 

"Awe don't be like that, c'mon we got work to do!" Nami announced. I sat up and stretched again, my back and shoulders popping this "We're going to go out to eat so hurry up!" Nami stated. The mention of food was enough to get me moving. I was ready to go in no time while the others were still being sluggish. I watched quietly while the others would dart in and out of the bathroom, or their respective rooms, Zoro and Sanji, of course, started arguing at one point but that was nothing new. 

Soon enough we were all ready to go, wearing matching outfits that Nami had managed to get a hold of, they were themed around mine and Robins outfit, black leather and blue. Each outfit slightly altered to better suit us, even Chopper had an outfit. He was one of us after all. Of course since right now we were all going out separately we had our own hoodies or jackets to cover up.

We didn't want to draw too much attention too soon.

After breakfast, we split up into groups. Zoro and I were wondering towards the center of town where our performance would take place. 

"There's a lot more people out than usual," Zoro observed. I looked around. Nothing seemed all that different than any other day. I shrugged. "I wonder if Nami put something on the internet."   
"Who cares? This is gunna be so fun!" I said happily. "We're almost there!" I grabbed Zoro by the hand and pulled him to walk faster. When we got to the town square, tons of people were moving about, many whispering among themselves. I could see Sanji and Usopp, with Chopper at their heels almost immediately. They nodded at us but made no move to come meet us. Then came Brook and Franky, Brook carried a big speaker that would be able to make sure the music was loud. Finally, there was Nami and Robin. Robin took her sunglasses off and nodded to me. Zoro nudged me. 

Oh right! That was my cue! I threw my straw hat into the hair, Zoro went to go get it. This got a few glances. Brook set down the speaker slipped out his phone. Here we go. I started to move to the center, pulling off my sweater and discarding it onto the pavement. Brook tapped away at his phone until the music started playing. Loud and attention-grabbing.   
I started moving the best way I knew how.

I caught glimpses of my hat flying between my friends and heard snippets of conversation. 

"....look a strawhat...." 

"That group? Here?" 

"No way!" 

"Don't you check the internet? They posted something-"

Zoro ignored the comments, he frisbee tossed the strawhat across the square to Usopp, who nearly let it slip through his fingers. Zoro too discarded his hoodie and took to the center of the square, falling in sync with Luffy. Usopp smirked. He and Sanji had parted, they were all separated. Only Usopp had Chopper at his heels. 

"Ready, Chopper?" He asked. Chopper barked in response. Usopp unzipped his jacket and tossed the hat to Nami. She caught it with ease. Usopp threw his jacket to the side and joined Luffy and Zoro. Nami smiled gleefully. Only thinking about all the money this precious hat was about to be filled with. She tossed the hat to Sanji and joined the boys. 

The crowd was starting to catch on to the pattern Robin had set up. My hat was tossed to Brook, just as the beat of the music changed. 

Brook hummed to the beat. He was supposed to have waited but we were been behind a few seconds since Usopp got the hat. He quickly tossed the hat to Robin, it was blown off course by a gust of wind. Luckily Robin was quick on her feet. 

Robin tossed it on to Franky and joined the others. Franky tossed the hat back to me, I landed my flip, catching my hat mid hair. Franky joined in. By then there was a crowd of people cheering us on. I tossed my hat across the area back to Franky, who was the farthest from me.

We continued to toss my straw hat back and forth to each other, bringing of attention to it. It may have seemed random, but Robin had worked it all out. And was that a drone flying overhead? Everyone here would know who they were! 

And it was all in sync to the music. Everything was going perfectly.

We were doing so well, and everything came to a complete standstill when the bomb went off.   
People started to scream and run, they were hectic. 

"We didn't even get any money yet!" Nami complained. Cops started to show up all over the square. 

"We should get going," Zoro said, setting my strawhat on my head. 

"Yeah," Nami agreed. We turned to leave, cops were muttering and pointing at us. They were everywhere, where did they even come from?

"Uh oh," Usopp muttered as a cop started making his towards us. It didn't help that we were the only ones not running or screaming.

"Zoro, Sanji," I said, meeting their eyes. They seemed to understand me. 

"Scatter!" I shouted. Everyone but the Zoro and Sanji took off in separate directions. It was obvious these guys thought they had something to do with the explosion. Luffy knew from experience there wouldn't be any changing their minds. 

"Man, this would be easy if I had my swords," Zoro muttered. The cops attempted to follow the others, but we stopped them, using either fists or their feet. They started forming a tight circle around Sanji, Zoro, and me. It was large. They were keeping a big distance on purpose.

"Freeze!" One of them yelled I saw the guns before Zoro and Sanji. I did as they instructed. Zoro and Sanji were watching me in confusion. I could feel their stares. 

"Oi, Luffy what's your plan here?" Sanji hissed. 

"Shishishi," One of the cops came closer, walking quickly. As soon as he got close I swung my arm and punched him. The three ducked down immediately as gunshots fired. Zoro caught the guys and turned him towards his other cop buddies. Hostage. I didn't even think of that. 

"That's not a plan, you dumbass!" Sanji shouted as the gunfire stopped

"I never said it was!" I replied. 

"Now what are we supposed to do?" Sanji asked. Zoro shrugged. The hostage stomped on his foot but Zoro only tightened his grip. 

"Friend shield!"I announced grabbing the policeman's arm and pulling him in front of me and charged towards them, another shot fired. Rather if it were out of strategy or hysteria, I couldn't tell. 

"Luffy!" Zoro and Sanji shouted, following the insane me toward the ring of police. Another shot was fired at me, our hostage in the shoulder, I let go of the guy. 

"You hurt your friend!" I snapped. How could they do that?

"Who cares it's not our problem, let's get outta here!" Sanji said. 

Yet another shot was fired, I jumped back, so much for getting through the death ring, the police had made. More and more shots started to go off, they were continuous. The bullets seemed endless my heart caught in my throat each time one passed me, which was often. 

It didn't take long for the police to run out. Why were cops so trigger happy anyway? I was surprised more hadn't shown up yet. And that none of us had been hit. 

Cops had to have decent aim, no?

Everything calmed down and the three of them were left in the center of the square, out of breath, surrounded with no way out. 

More police started to fill in the square, coming from alleyways and main roads. Luffy watched the men and women in front of him. They were hesitant, scared. 

"Luffy," Zoro said. I looked over at him, he nodded to a break in the line of cops. it led into an alleyway. 

"It might be a trap," Zoro warned. 

"What choice do we have?" I asked. Zoro shrugged. "You two take it." 

Zoro nodded "What about you?" 

"I'll be right behind you guys," I promised. " But get outta here no matter what happens!" Sanji dashed into the alley, Zoro right behind him. 

"Luffy!" Sanji yelled. I glanced in his direction. The cops were closing off the alley now. Zoro and Sanji on the other side. I made eye contact with Zoro. 

"He'll catch up," Zoro assured. Sanji nodded and the two left.

* * *

There was loud music coming from the town square. 

"Oi, Hawkin's should I check that out?" He asked.

He looked up at the sky, considering something. "No, it serves as a good distraction."

"Alright." Thatch shrugged. Hawkins continued to toy with the contraption on the ground between his feet. 

"It's finished." He's said calmly, after a few more minutes of silence.

"What exactly is _it?"_ Thatch questioned. Hawkins shrugged.

"It will disable all the electronics in the building." He explained. "That way we can get to the guy who killed A-"

"Don't say it." Thatch snapped. Hawkins didn't finish his sentence.

"Anyway. Once this goes off, you'll run inside, ahead of me. The flamingo we're looking for should be in this area." Hawkins explained pointing out a place on the map on his phone.

"Kay, ready when you are." Thatch stated, getting into the protected spot Hawkins had instructed him to. Hawkins reached down to push a button. He hesitated and glanced over his shoulder, shook his head, and pushed the button and walked away. He went for the exit.

It exploded. Thatch sat there in shock. It wasn't supposed to explode. The wall it rested against was in ruins and a man was laying on the floor on the other side.

Thatch growled. Hawkins betrayed him. This was _not_ how this was supposed to go!

Thatch stepped out of his hiding place and approached the unconscious guy. Doflamingo. He gritted his teeth.

"There!" Someone shouted Thatch jumped, no one else was supposed to be here. Hawkins was supposed to be meeting him.

"Traitorous bastard!" Thatch growled running back the way he came.

Doflamingo was up and moving, he grabbed his hair as Tatch attempted to fight the guy.

"Thatch?" He asked with a smirk. He turned and kicked him.

"I'm not that easy," He stated as his guard approached them. Thatch squirmed and struggled but he had no chance for escape. Thatch wasn't by any means weak. So how was this guy so monstrously stong?

"I'll kill that stupid fuck!" Thatch cursed to himself. Doflamingo chuckled as his guard arrested the man.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edited Aug, 24. 2019


	11. Stuck

**_♤_ ** **_Luffy♤_ **

Okay. So that didn't go how I had wanted it. But that was beside the point. By what the guards had said, it had been a day since I had been caught. Well, not really caught, more of falsely apprehended. These guys didn't care. 

From what I could tell, the incident in Dressrosa was being classified as a terrorist attack, and I was being moved, along with two others they had caught, to the capital of whatever country we were in to be interrogated. This all from the guards. What can I say? There's not much to do in this tiny cell but eavesdrop and eat. 

And they didn't even give me full meals! And from what the guards said they had captured only three people. So the others did make it out. Maybe it was Zoro and Sanji who were caught too. In that case, as soon as I met up with them we'd be out of here! A third guard showed up, only he was dressed fancier than a guard. 

"Up!" He demanded. I did as he told, even went so far as to walk up to the door to my holding cell. 

"Monkey D. Luffy." He said, taking a slow drag from his cigar. He smelled more like smoke than Sanji. 

"That's my name," I stated. 

"Don't be a smartass." He grumbled, bringing out a pair of handcuffs. Knowing the drill, I turned around and stuck my hands through the small gap in the bars which allowed it. On the handcuffs went, and the cell door was opened. 

One of the guards at my door grabbed my arm and pulled me to the end of the hall, I glanced back, just trying to see the other prisoners they had caught with me. The guard forced me to look forward. My hat fell off my head at that. I stooped down to get it. The guard kicked me. 

"Hey! That was uncalled for, I was just picking up my hat!" I complained, standing back up and putting my hat on my head to the sound of clinging metal. I felt the presence of someone now standing behind me. I tried to look back again, seeing only light bro hair before the guard corrected me again. Asshole. 

It was only another minute or two before we were taken down to a scary-looking truck, accompanied by four escorts. This was a little much. They opened up a truck that had no windows, there was a dim light on the ceiling but other than that it was all dark. There were two rows of seats on each side, facing each other, the truck could probably fit six people. I was the first they sat down in the truck, followed by a guy with a scar by his eye, he looked familiar and...  
Zoro!

"Zoro!" I said happily while he forced into a seat. I was glad I wasn't alone. I was told to be quiet. 

"How come you got caught? Where's Sa-" 

"We got separated," Zoro said. I nodded. 

"Do you know if they got out?" 

"If the cook got to them then I'm sure they did," Zoro stated. I nodded again. 

"That's good." I decided. Zoro nodded. 

We were hushed again. Zoro stayed quiet. He seemed to have his guard up, which wasn't unreasonable. I looked at the man who was sitting next to Zoro. He hadn't said anything, I had never seen him before. But something about him was familiar, only a hint of it. 

I wonder how he ended up here. 

"Oi, how'd you end up here?" I asked. He was surprised I had said anything to him. 

"Don't worry about it," he muttered. I frowned. Zoro glanced at him. He didn't like him. I could tell.

My stomach growled. I can't wait to be back with the others. The ride was long, well it felt long, and my butt and back were sore by the end. Finally, they stopped, and within moments, they opened the back door. 

"Zoro!" I said as I jumped out before they finished opening the doors. "Let's go home!"

"Wh-" the guy started to say. Zoro hit the ground right after I did, we looked around, we were outside the gate of a pretty secure building on one side was unkempt fields and the other was the forest. 

"Shishishi," I took off for the woods. Zoro right behind me. It took several yards before anyone did anything about our leap to freedom. It took way too long for us to get to the tree line. 

"Whoohoo!" I bellowed. Zoro was laughing behind me. 

"You're insane!" Zoro shouted. We jumped over branches, through bushes, ducked under overgrown brush and low hanging branches. 

I looked back to see Zoro behind me, and behind him, the woods. 

We ran until we were completely out of breath, which was a pretty long distance, considering our professions. 

I sat on a log while we caught our breath, I slid my hands underneath me and pulled my legs towards me so my hands were chained in front of me instead of behind. Zoro did the same.

There was a howl. 

"Wolf?" I asked. Zoro tensed. 

"No, hounds." 

"Is that bad?" 

"Yeah, we gotta go." Zoro and I jumped back to our feet and started running again, moving faster now we could make use of our arms. 

"Do you hear that?" Zoro said suddenly. 

"Huh?" I asked, running. 

"Water, I'm sure of it!" Zoro said. "This way," Zoro took a sudden turn, we got separated by a line of trees but I managed to find Zoro again. We found a river. At the bottom of a short cliff, maybe 10 feet high. 

"Let's jump." 

"Zoro I-" 

"I know, I got you," Zoro assured. I was still wary. 

"The handcuffs." 

"We don't have time, trust me," Zoro said. I nodded. 

"After I hit the water jump," Zoro said. I nodded and he went, landing with a splash. 

And I went. 

The water engulfed me, I held my breath, before I knew it Zoro had pulled me to the surface. I clung onto him with everything I had. I was useless in the water. Even worse, I was scared. Zoro didn't make a move for the land, he let us float downstream for a while. Once were we at a place both of us could stand we waded to the shore. 

"We did it!" I shouted joyfully, thankful to be out of the water. 

"That was too easy..." Zoro muttered. 

"Who cares? Let's get outta here and find the others!" I had forgotten what it was like to be restrained, and how much I hated it. The freedom was intoxicating.

"Which way should we go?" I asked. Zoro shrugged. 

"Downriver?" Zoro suggested. "Following the river, we have food and fresh water." 

"And what about these?" I held up my hands. Zoro looked around, taking a few steps downriver. 

"We'll figure it out later," He decided. I nodded. Zoro took another step, then shouted in pain or shock, I wasn't sure. 

"Zoro!" I yelled, he scrambled back from where he had been. 

"What was that?" I demanded, looking around us, ready to fight if I had to. 

"The handcuffs shocked me." He mumbled. 

"I guess we'll deal with it now then," I said. 

"Tch," Zoro muttered. We walked into the woods, after a little while Zoro had attempted to go further down, only to be shocked again. There seemed to be an invisible barrier. We walked along with it until we found a peg in the ground. 

"Huh," Zoro hummed. 

"What if we just-" I knelt down to pull out the peg, it was heavy and smooth. But I managed to free it from the earth. 

"Like a shock perimeter for dogs..." Zoro observed. 

"It's getting warm." I pointed out. 

"What!?" Zoro asked in alarm. I offered the peg to him. He took it from me and dropped it. 

"That's burning hot!" Zoro stated. Blowing on his fingers. 

"Luffy, your hands..." I looked down. Blisters were forming where I had held onto it. 

I hadn't felt anything. Actually, I didn't even feel the cold water or wet for that matter. Was I breathing heavy? It didn't feel like it.

"Luffy?" Zoro asked. He moved closer to me, cautious like I might hurt him. What was going on? I started leaning forward, not intentionally. 

Weird, I felt fine. 

"Luffy!" Zoro yelled. Zoro caught me before I hit the ground. 

I woke up, groggy and confused, sitting in another cell. This time Zoro and the guy from before were in there with me. 

"Huh!? What happened, where am I?" I asked. 

"Impel Down, a branch of it anyway." An unfamiliar voice said. I looked over the corner adjacent to where I was. A man with black fluffy hair pulled into a ponytail, sat in the corner, he had scars across his body. Zoro tensed. 

"Oh, well what happened to me?" 

"You were shot with a tranquilizer." The blond guy said. 

"Which must have broken off, probably before the river," Zoro explained. "It was in your leg." He gestured towards the bandage that was wrapped around my calf.

"Oh." I hummed. "How'd we get caught?"

"The peg," Zoro replied. "It told them right where we were," Zoro shook his head to himself. 

"You nearly escaped?" The man asked. He was shocked. Zoro nodded. 

"Who are you?" The guy suddenly asked. 

"I think it's common courtesy to introduce yourself first." He replied. 

"Fair enough, I'm Thatch," he said. 

"Jimbe." The man replied. 

"And you two?" He asked

"I'm Luffy!" I smiled. 

"Roronoa Zoro," Zoro said without another word. He didn't trust either of them. A guard hushed us, we ignored him. 

"Awe man I wanted Sanji's cooking!" I stated. I was so hungry. A guard came up to our door, the same guard who had let me out of my cell back in Dressrosa. 

"Captain Smoker? We weren't expecting you." One of the guards stated. 

"I know," Smoker stated. Giving the guard a piece of paper. 

"Monkey D. Luffy," he called. That got a small gasp from Thatch. Zoro glared at Smoker. "Let's go." 

I stood, and moved to the door, sticking my hands out of the bar gap. I was cuffed and taken down a hall. Smoker led me into a room and made me sit in a chair. The chair seemed to hold stories and lives. It had a history to it. I could feel it. Robin would find it interesting. A few minutes later a woman came in. 

She had hair that covered her eyes and skin-tight leather clothing. Something about her was off.   
  


"You're from Dressrosa, no?" Her voice was soothing, rhythmic almost. 

"That depends," I said. She sighed. 

"That's where you were arrested?" She asked, licking her lips, the action unnerved me. 

"Yeah." 

"Ah! I know just what do with you!" She smirked and uncuffed my hands, then cuffed them to the chair. She opened up a panel on the wall I hadn't noticed before. Red coals were glowing on the other side. She stuck a rod with a chunk of metal at on end into the coals she turned back to me and smiled. 

"Strawhat, why is it that you attacked Donquixote?" She hummed casually. Who? What? Was that one of the cop guys?

"I don't know what you're talking about," I answered. The woman pouted, she walked up to me and turned my hand over to see my wrist. The one with all the marks. 

"Oh, you've got some story to tell!" She chirped. I attempted to pull my arm away from her, but she had a tight grip. 

"One, two, three, four,!" She sang out, brushing my marks with her fingertips. I tried to pull my wrist away from her again. 

"And one, black." She continued. "Maybe I should make it five." I didn't react, didn't move. There was no way she could know about Law.

"So, you don't know any Doflamingo?" She asked. 

"No," I said, glaring at her. 

"And to hurt such pretty skin, what a shame..." She sighed. 

"Huh?" She went back to her rod and pouted. 

"Not hot enough..." She turned back to me. 

"What were you doing in Dressrosa?" 

"Just traveling," I said honestly. 

"What's the reason though?" She pestered. 

"That's it! Me and my friends travel from town to town all the time!" I responded. She was not satisfied with my answer. 

"No fair. Why do the worst ones have the nicest skin," She turned to a set of locked cabinet doors, opening them to reveal an assortment of objects. She pulled out a jug of water and plastic wrap. I watched her warily. 

"Oh, I guess this won't hurt your skin!" She exclaimed, pulling a long sheet of plastic wrap from the roll. 

"One more time dear, why did you attack Doflamingo?" 

"I didn't!" I was getting annoyed with this woman. She stepped behind me and set the wrap carefully across my chest while she opened the water jug. 

"You're scared of water, no?" She hummed. How did she know that? In one quick motion, she pulled the wrap over my face. 

Water, I felt like I was drowning. I couldn't breathe. I squirmed and fought against my restraints. I couldn't breathe I was going to drown! 

Just when I thought I was going to blackout, it stopped. I panted and looked around wildly. I wasn't underwater I was strapped to a chair. 

"Who else attacked Doflamingo?" 

"I don't know what the hell you're talking about!" I snapped. The woman pulled on my ear. 

"Don't yell at me." She ordered. She walked back to the cabinet, getting a knife this time. She came back over and tapped the blade on my marks. 

"Why did you attack Doflamingo?" She asked once more. 

"Fuck you," I growled. She clicked her tongue and looked down at my wrist. She drove the tip of the blade into Laws mark. It bled and it hurt. 

"Stop!" I yelled at her. She didn't. Law. Torao. I only thought about him. The pain was blinding. No, don't think about the pain, only Law. Torao and his silver eyes. 

Finally, she stopped, humming in dissatisfaction. 

"You didn't even scream." She complained. Setting the knife down. 

Black spots danced across my vision. Blood pooled on my wrist, the woman observed it. 

"Good, I was worried I went to deep."She leaned over me and tapped her finger across my collarbone. She looked back over to the roasting rod. 

"Why did you attack Doflamingo?" I didn't bother answering her anymore. She brought the blade to the first scar. 

_Ace._

This woman even looking at that mark made my throat tightened to the point beyond breathable. I couldn't tell if I were scared or in pain or both. She drove the blade's tip into the mark.

A flood of pain washed over me. It came accompanied by the burning sensation that started in my stomach. The same one that took control of me when Ace died.

"Torao, Torao, Torao," I repeated to myself quietly. It didn't seem like enough to push the pain out if my mind. Law and his smile. His rare smile that he let's very few see. Pain swelled in my chest. 

Law. Law. Law. Torao. Torao. It stopped. I could feel the hot tears that ran down my face. 

"Still no screams?" She sighed. "Oh! But I did get a name." 

"Ace, was it?" She hummed. I didn't say Ace's name, did I?

"Oh, and..." she dragged the blade to the black mark, "Torao?" The name coming from her was wrong. She shouldn't say that name. 

"I wonder who this one was?" She moved to the second scar and repeated her process. Pain bloomed, harsher than ever. 

I wouldn't give her any satisfaction. With new determination, I meet her gaze and held it as pain flared up my arm. She moved on to the next.

Once she realized she would get nothing from me she sighed and stopped. She brought the jug of water up again. She tilted the chair back so my head was towards the floor. She poured water over my face. Water went up my nose, I gasped, only choking on air. I was going to drown this time, really truly drown. She stopped, I was able to breathe and cough up water. 

"Again, why did you attack Doflamingo? Who helped you?" I didn't answer she repeated the process, over and over. 

Finally, she got bored she was also running out of water. She put the chair back up to its normal position. She settled for more physical pain. She pulled out a knife and a lemon. She cut the lemon into wedged the soaked the blade in lemon juice... this didn't look good. 

She came back over to me and made a small cut on my arm. At first, it was a small stinging sensation, then it grew much more fierce. She made these cuts all over my arms. 

"Last chance, answer my questions." She sighed. "Well, last chance, for now, you'll be back, and it will be much worse." I didn't answer

Next, the woman fully unzipped my leather jacket, poured the water over my chest, turned back to the rod and pulled it out of the coals. It looked like a piece of old scrap metal had just been put onto a fireplace poker. She came close to me, twirling it in her hands. Without warning, she put the hot metal against my chest.

I screamed. 

After that, the Smokey guy dragged me back to my cell with Zoro. The cell door creaked open and I was dropped onto the stone floor. A box was thrown next to me.

"Luffy!" Zoro was at my side, he rolled me onto my back. The air made my chest burn.

"Holy shit." Zoro cursed. That Jimbei guy was next to me too

"I can help bandage him," Jimbe said. "If you'll let me." Zoro and Jimbei started to fix me up. When they were done, Zoro moved to let me use his lap as a pillow. 

"What did you do?" Jimbe asked. I didn't pay much attention to him or the other guy. My chest hurt too much. 

"Nothing," Zoro muttered.

"Nothing doesn't get you branded," Thatch retorted. 

"Apparently it does," Zoro snapped. I shifted and grabbed onto the bottom Zoro's jacket. Gradually, I sat up and leaned against the wall next to Zoro. I leaned against his side and caught sight of my marks. There were bloody and starting to itch. I covered them up with my hand so I wouldn't have to look at them. Zoro pulled the box over to us. 

"Let me see," he said quietly. I let Zoro look at my marks, looking away as he did. Then Zoro wrapped a bandage around them. I settled back against Zoro's side. Zoro sighed and hugged me a little closer. 

"We'll get outta here," Zoro assured. I nodded. Yeah, we would. 


	12. Escape

_**《Zoro》** _

  
"Get up." A familiar voice demanded. I opened one eye, looking up at Smoker. He stood over me, puffing out a breath of smoke. 

Luffy was using my lap as a pillow. 

"Can't," I said simply, closing my eye. He kicked my foot, the guy had a lot of nerve coming into a cell by himself and aggravating a dangerous prisoner. 

"Why's that?" He asked. The air around us was starting to smell of cigar smoke. I pointed towards my lap. Though it had been a least two days since Luffy was tortured, Luffy was still weak from his injuries, the lack of food definitely had something to do with it. 

"Roronoa." Oops, looks like I made it angry. 

"Alright, alright," I muttered, looking down at Luffy, who was sound asleep. 

I gradually inched out from under him and made sure he didn't smack his head on the cemented floor. I was handcuffed and lead down the hall. I was pretty aware of what they were going to do to me. Down this hall, there were no other cells and no guards. That seems dumb. I could easily attack this guy, granted there were still the guards at our cell...There were only two of them.

There was a heavy metal door at the end of the hall. Luffy is still injured, and weak, it'd be difficult to escape now. Difficult, but not impossible. This smoker guy had a similar build to me, I could take him in a fight. 

"ZORO!!" Luffy, from down the hall. He must have just woken up. He knew just as well as I did what was going to happen to me. That was just like Luffy, he'd panic over me, any of his friends really. He'd draw strength from adrenaline. Smoker looked back, he was distracted. Now would be the best time. I pulled the long chain of my handcuffs around his neck. Smoker attempted to shove me off, that proved useless since my hands were chained together. Instead, he rammed into a wall, with me between him and the wall, that still didn't matter. 

Finally, the guy managed to flip me over his shoulder and into the ground. I quickly jumped up to my feet, through it all he still had that dumb cigar between his teeth. I swung a fist at him, just barely missing, he was fast. I took another swing, grazing his jaw.

Really fast. 

He took his turn at me, he was aiming high, so I dropped, using my hand to support myself, I swung my feet to knock him on his ass. It worked, I jumped back up to my feet, while he struggled to get up I kicked his ribs. 

Low blow, kicking a man while he's down. It's what I was trained to do. To be an assassin, not a warrior. There was no pride in assassination. 

"ZORO!" Luffy shouted again, followed by a loud crash. 

"Yeah, yeah, I'm coming," I grumbled, giving a good blow to Smoker's skull. He'd be unconscious, not dead. 

Damn, I was even bad at being an assassin. I patted the guy down for his keys and found them easily. I tested each one until I found the right one to unlock my cuffs. 

I got back to the cell, Luffy was at the door, the guards were on the ground, Luffy had probably smacked their heads together. Thatch and Jimbe were up now. 

"Luf," I called, tossing him the ring of keys. 

"Woah! You're the coolest Zoro!" Luffy exclaimed, fidgeting with the keys. 

"Where's Smoker?" Thatch asked he looked surprised. 

"Taking a nap," I responded. 

"What's going on here?" A woman caring a whip stood behind me, she must have been waiting on the other side of the door. Luffy nearly dropped the keys. Luffy seemed scared of this woman. He wasn't afraid of much. She must have been the one to leave that mark on him. Bitch.

I glared at her. She took a step closer. Damn, I wish I had at least one of my swords. 

"Luffy, the keys," Thatch reminded him, taking them from Luffy, who was not moving, and pushing him out of the way. The woman giggled. 

"Oh, this is rich! Are you the reason for that black mark?" The woman was talking to me. "Are you his Torao?"The woman took a step towards me, and before I knew it, she had cracked her whip across my torso and pinned me to the ground. She only wanted to get a look at my wrist. 

"Just black and red, so boring!" She mused. 

"Oh, but I must know, are you the black mark on his wrist?" She asked again. 

"No," Luffy said the door was open, Luffy seemed to have been woken up from his temporary fear freeze. 

"Oh, but how will I know?" She asked in a sing-song voice. "I really think I should make sure!" A blade was brought to my throat. 

Big mistake lady. Luffy charged, the knife moved, not across my neck, but up the side of my face, right over my eye. Luffy was merciless towards her. He threw punches wildly, without stopping.

The woman didn't even have time to react. I held my hand to my eye, fuck it stung. 

"Luffy, she's down," I told him, he stopped. He turned towards, me, blind rage in his eyes. Sure I had seen him angry, I had seen Luffy in many, many states of emotion. But never like this.   
It was only for a moment, the very air seemed to calm down along with him. 

"Zoro, your eye..." Luffy said. 

"Don't worry about it," I said as Luffy knelt down next to me. He got back up and went to the first aid box, pulling out the leftover bandages, which wasn't much. His hands were shaking. Jimbei sighed and knelt down next to us. 

"Put your hand down, and don't move." He ordered. I did as told. The dim light hurt my eye.   
Soon enough I was patched up, with an ace bandage wrapped around my head. 

"I'm no medic but I don't think you'll be able to see through that eye again," Jimbe said. I nodded. "It'll probably scar too." I stood.

"Well, I told you we'd get outta here, so let's go," I told Luffy, offering a hand to help him off the ground. He took it. 

"Just like that?" Thatch asked. 

"You gunna wait here 'til more guards show up?" Jimbe asked him. He sighed. 

"Yeah, right," Thatch followed us down the hall, the one that didn't lead to some terrorist torture room.

Escaping was no easy task, five minutes of walking and we ran into more guards. This place must have been massive if they could space out cells like that. Maybe it was just this area of the prison. They were of course alarmed, but two of them, and four of us? That was too easy. On the other side of the cell door, sat a man. He didn't bother looking up. He smelled like he hadn't showered in a year. We passed him by without a second glance. 

"A window!" Luffy exclaimed, running up to it. He was too short to see through it. He grabbed onto the seal and tried to pull himself up, using the wall to hold himself. He could still barely see.

I walked up behind him, stood on my toes to get a better look. It was weird not being able to see from both eyes. I was completely unaware of everything on my left side. It was something to get used to. 

"We could fit through this!" Luffy decided. No, we couldn't. Luffy could. He was smaller. 

"No, you could, we couldn't," I told him. 

"Oh," he hummed. 

"Besides, that's too far a drop," Thatch added. Luffy dropped down from his place and we continued walking. We didn't run into any more guards in that hall, simply walls and small windows. 

"You'd think they'd have cameras," I muttered, noticing the lack of technology. 

"Much too cocky for that," Jimbe replied, I nodded. It was a branch of the world government after all. 

"Behind us," Jimbei interrupted. 

"And ahead," Luffy stretched his arms above his head. There were guards both ahead of us, and behind. Four in total. Was it always going to be in pairs? That's boring. 

"Me and Zoro got these guys," Luffy decided, continuing onward. The other two of our party looked, back waiting for the guards to get suspicious. They all did. We took care of them easily enough. 

"You'd think there'd be stronger guards with this being a prison for terrorists and all." I sighed.

"Not that I'm complaining."

"Again, the government is way too confident in themselves, they think anyone would be too scared to break out, or too stupid to try." Thatch pointed out. 

"That's definitely a take on it, but it does seem a bit too easy...." Jimbe decided. 

"How cares?" Luffy said. We turned a corner. "Oh! Look a big window." There was a large window, stained glass of a man standing on a mountain of bodies under him. 

What a work of art. Luffy broke it, the glass shattered onto the ground, both inside and outside the building. 

I looked out the window, about 50 yards from the building was a fence, electric no doubt. Beyond that were the same woods Luffy and I had nearly escaped through. In the not so far distance there was a guard tower, we'd be spotted easily in the daylight. 

"Wait!" A woman yelled. We all spun around, seeing a woman with glasses and a sword standing before us. 

"If you escape you'll only be wanted criminals!" The woman pointed out. That was true, but if I needed I could flaunt around at headquarters, the big guys get nervous when the assassins are visible, within a week it'll be like none of this ever happened. 

"What's your point?" I asked. 

"I know you're not responsible for what happened." The dark-haired woman said. Luffy and I exchanged glances. I knew what Luffy was thinking. He considered Jimbe and Tatch friends now.

Yes, the two of us might be clear, but they weren't. 

"What about Thatch and Jimbei?" Luffy asked. 

"I-I can't guarantee them anything." She said. Luffy nodded. 

"No," Luffy said, walking towards the window. 

"What?" The woman asked. Even Jimbe and Thatch expected him to listen to what she had to say. 

"I can't let you leave!" She raised her sword and ran for Luffy. She left herself open. I caught her mid-run. She didn't see that coming. With the force of her sudden stop, she dropped her sword. I kicked it away from us. 

"Go on, I got this," I assured. 

"Let go!" She pushed off of me and moved for her sword. I put myself in her path and kicked the weapon farther away. 

"What are you waiting for let's go!" Luffy said he was talking to Jimbe and Thatch. "Zoro said he could handle that." 

"We're still pretty high up," Thatch pointed out. "Well, this is the chance we have," Luffy said. 

Thatch was the first to go out the window. The woman stood in front of me, she was unsure what to do now. She couldn't get past me, and she couldn't fight me without her sword. 

I watched the woman carefully, she wanted to make a move, she was thinking about which way to go. I'd see it coming. Jimbei went. 

"Zoro!" Luffy called, I paid him no attention. The lady moved for the wall away from her sword. She expected me to go after her, instead, I swooped the sword from the ground and pointed it at her. I let the point of the sword fall to the floor and drove it into the pavement. A crack being right beneath me helped. I turned my back to her and joined Luffy at the window, he jumped down right before I did. 

"Now we have to clear this field in about...." Jimbe watched the watchtower carefully. "Twenty seconds." 

"Why twenty?" Thatch asked. 

"That's how long it takes the guard up there to walk completely around the balcony up there," Jimbei explained. "He's not noticing us now because we're not moving. But if he notices something moving he'll obviously check it out." Thatch nodded. 

I glanced at Luffy, I was doubtful he'd be able to run that far that quickly in his current state. Yes, he was strong. Yes, he has stamina. Luffy is also human and can only take so much. 

Luffy smiled. "Easy peasy!" 

"Good," Jimbe said, looking back up at the tower, he was watching for the best time to go. 

"Now!" He ordered. And with that we took off, darting across an empty field if dirt. I made sure to stay behind Luffy. He was slowing down, rather if that was to make sure Thatch and Jimbe kept up or because he wasn't healthy enough I couldn't tell. I cut a glance at the watchtower, still, no one was there. We managed to reach the fence at the bottom of the tower. 

Blindspot, right under their nose. I looked at the fence warily. It gave no sign of being dangerous. 

"How are we going to get over it?" I asked. Any movement would alert the guard immediately. 

"We don't," Luffy said with a smile. "We go under it!" Luffy lifted the edge of the fence where an animal had probably dug under it. There wasn't much room for a person. I looked at the fence, if we tried to slide under it the fence would shake. Thatch seemed to notice this too. 

"Oh!" He suddenly hummed. "Jimbe, hold onto the fence here," he gestured to a space above the hole. 

"Zoro, pick up the edge," He ordered. I did. The fence only moved up to where Jimbe was holding it. Thatch crawled underneath me and he was able to get through the hole without touching the fence. Luffy did the same. 

"Now what?" Jimbe asked. Luffy grabbed onto the fence from his side. 

"Your turn," he smiled with dirt on his face. I pulled the fence up as much as I could, Jimbe was a larger person. He managed to get through, though his clothing snagged on the fence. I dropped the fence, Luffy picked it up while Jimbei held onto it. I slid through too. 

"That was so smart! How'd you come up with that?" Luffy asked. 

"It's not much different from brushing long hair," he said. 

"Weird," Luffy muttered. Meanwhile, Jimbei had taken a few steps back. He was watching the guard again. 

"I think he's noticed window," Jimbe stated. 

"We better go then," I said. 

"Who knew it'd be so easy to break out of a high-security prison!" Thatch sighed joyfully starting to head to the forest. He seemed to suddenly trust Luffy at least. Maybe it had to do with the woman's offer from earlier.

"You'll be wanted fugitives across the world." I pointed out following him towards the tree line. That seemed to dampen his mood."Not much will change for us, now we just gotta watch out for cops," I said, which may not even be true. 

"Who exactly are you guys anyway?" Jimbei asked he sounded uninterested in the question.   
Luffy smiled. "Street performers!" 

"How the hell did you get pinned as terrorists?" Thatch asked. Luffy shrugged, we made for the tree line.

We moved quickly through the forest, stopping only when Luffy's bandages got caught on some bushes, and even then we stopped only to re-tighten them. By nightfall, we were all hungry and tired.

"Water," Jimbe said. I thought we already passed the river. "A lot of it."

"How do you know?" Luffy chirped just as the trees seemed stopped. Another tree line. 

"Oh," Luffy mumbled. The ocean we were on an island. The mainland could be seen in the distance. 

"That's..." 

"Far." Luffy glanced at me, worried. One of the only things Luffy was scared of was water. A small river was one thing, but the ocean? 

"We'll set up camp for tonight, we can't cross that now." I decided. Jimbe nodded. We'd be free tomorrow.

The next morning we woke just as the sun was coming up to howling. The same howling as a few days ago. It was close. 

"Luffy!" I whisper shouted, Thatch and Jimbe we already moving. Luffy sat upright, looking around frantically. "We have to go."

"How?" Thatch asked. 

"Swim, obviously." Jimbe pointed out. 

"We'll never make that!" 

"Would you rather wait for them to catch up?" I asked. Thatch was quiet. 

"We should go separately, that way if any of us get caught we can help the others out." Jimbe offered. That immediately set me on guard. I didn't care if they deserted us or not, but Luffy would. And I didn't trust these people to truly help if we were captured. That, and if they got caught Luffy would make sure we helped them. 

"Okay!" Luffy agreed all too quickly. I knew he would. 

"We'll go first then," Jimbe said, gesturing to him and Thatch. I glared at him. 

"Fine." I agreed. The two looked out across the stretch of ocean and prepared to swim. Once they were gone, Luffy sat down and hugged his knees to his legs. 

"I can't...." Luffy muttered. 

"No, not alone." I agreed. He looked up at me. 

"But Zoro! That's way too far!" Luffy said. Thatch and Jimbei had managed to put a good distance between us. 

"We'll manage." I shrugged. Luffy was doubtful. 

"Trust me," I said, offering a hand to get him back on his feet. That usually did the trick. Luffy nodded and took my hand. I patted my best friends shoulder. 

"It'll be over before you know it," I assured, stretching my arms and shoulders. We headed down to the shore. Luffy held tightly onto my arm until neither if us could touch the ground. Once we were to that point, I had Luffy wrap his arms around my shoulders. We waited there a little while before I started to swim out.

I moved fast at first, trying to put as much distance as possible between us and the island. Thatch and Jimbe were a good twenty yards ahead of us. Once the island was a decent distance away, I slowed down, letting the waves and current push us towards the land, keeping our heads above the water.

Luffy clung onto me tightly, he kept his face buried in my shoulder as much as possible. Then there was howling. Hounds. They were probably on the shore, but I didn't dare look back. Once the current no longer assisted us I swam, then the beach waves helped push us to shore. Both of us were relieved to be back on land. It had taken hours to get across the stretch. Jimbei and Thatch were nowhere to be seen.

Great. Luffy stood, he seemed to be much more optimistic now. 

"Let's go find those two!" He decided. I sighed and stood, my back and arms were incredibly sore. 

"And a phone," I added. We walked away from the water, eventually, we found a road, and that road led us to a small town. Of course, Luffy wanted food, but we had no money. We didn't have anything.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edited. Aug. 24, 2019


	13. Cozy

_**♡Law♡** _

I frowned at my phone. Luffy hadn't texted or called in days. 

Days. 

How had I let this childish man into my life so willingly? I knew that we had moved fast, faster than I would have liked but this...

I sighed. He may be just busy, or somewhere with no service. He was supposed to leave Dressrosa about two days ago. I had already panicked over plane accidents. No use in going through it all again. I checked news articles. No plane crashed from Dressrosa in over a year. He must be somewhere with no service. Luffy hadn't said where he was going...

Maybe he changed his mind about being in a relationship. How well did I really know Luffy anyway? I started at the device blankly. I wasn't sure if I was annoyed at it, myself, or Luffy. 

"Hey, man, what's got you down?" Sachi asked, sitting in the seat across from me. It was our lunch break. 

"Probably something dumb," I sighed. Indeed, I was probably just overthinking. 

"So what, you're worried about something, let it out!" Sachi stated. Such a simple way to put it. I guess he had a point. This is when I realized I had never mentioned Luffy to any of the people I called my friends. I had been pushing them away more and more recently.

I sighed and I told Sachi about Luffy. I told him about how Luffy had left, and how long he had been gone, and that he hadn't answered any of my messages. I even told Sachi the annoying mark was caused by Luffy. 

Sachi sat in silence for a moment.

"Wow," Sachi said. "And here I was thinking you led a boring life." I rolled my eyes at him. 

"Law, I'm sure everything is fine and he'll call you when he can," Sachi assured I nodded. 

"C' mon, lunch is done in 5," Sachi said, standing from his seat and patting my shoulder. 

I stood too and we went back to cutting people open. My shift ended far too late into the evening, paperwork was far more time consuming than the work itself and I'd rather not take work home. 

I sighed to myself. Wishing I had gotten to know Luffy's friends enough to have one of their numbers as well. I looked up at the ceiling. Fai was visiting again, currently, she was asleep on my couch and couldn't nag me about stressing over Luffy. 

"Boss!" Sachi yelled, right before banging on my front door. "Law!" Fai jumped up, looking around in panic before realizing everything was fine. I stood and answered my door. 

"Here!" Sachi shoved a crumpled paper into my hand, he was still in scrubs, he came straight from the hospital. Sachi let himself in and closed the door. 

"Penguin said there was a call for you from an out of country number." Sachi began to explain.

"He said it was this woman called Nami, and that she had to get a hold of you asap." The name was familiar. I couldn't recall where I had heard it. Sachi glanced at Fai who was watching us curiously. 

"He said she mentioned Luffy," Sachi whispered, mouthing the name Luffy rather than speaking it. He didn't know if she knew, so he didn't let on. 

"What?" I asked, my heart pounding in my chest at the mere mention of his name. 

"And you didn't call me?" 

"Relax, let me finish!"

"Penguin said he got her number so you could call her." Sachi gestured to the paper in my hand. I hugged Sachi, something I never do. The hug was quick, almost awkward. I pulled away and went back to the coffee table for my phone. 

They both watched me curiously, but silent. I read the messy number scribbled onto the paper. Penguins handwriting was messy, but no messier than what I was used to. It was easy enough for me to read. I dialed the number and pressed the phone to my ear. The phone rang, once, twice, three, four...

"Who is this?" A feminine voice answered, suspicious. 

"Hello, I'm Trafalgar Law, I-" 

"Oh, finally!" The voice exclaimed. "Okay, I'm Nami, and here's the deal, don't talk. I can't stay on the phone long. I'm going to dump some information on you and you're going to have questions but I can't answer them." The woman explained. 

"Ready?" 

"Yeah." 

"I'm a friend of Luffy's and we were in Dressrosa, as you know. There was an attack on that famous guy, Doflamingo." My eyes widened at the information.

Why hadn't Fai told me? "At the time we were putting on a big show, think flash-mob. We were blamed for the incident. Luffy and two others stayed behind to make sure the rest of us got away. One of them made it back. The other two didn't. We can only assume they were arrested." Nami paused, allowing me to digest this information. 

"Knowing them they will manage to get out, and if they do, you won't hear any of it on the news. That's all I have time for." The call ended. I set down the phone and took a moment to gather my thoughts. Luffy had been arrested for something he didn't do. For attacking Doflamingo, I glanced at Fai.

Why hadn't she told me? Did she think I had heard it on the news? Maybe she thought I wouldn't care. Maybe I wouldn't if it were any other circumstances. Sachi and Fai were still watching me.

Nami had kept her promise and left me with many questions. 

"Why didn't you tell me Doflamingo was attacked?" I asked Fai. 

"I-I'd thought you already knew," Fai said. She had stuttered. I glared at her flatly. Growing up the only time she stuttered was when she lied or was hiding something. I doubted she broke the habit. 

"You're lying." I pointed out. She was quiet. 

"I didn't think you'd care." She tried. She's not making eye contact. It was a partial truth. 

"You're still hiding something," I said, glaring down at her. Fai stood up. 

"I'm not. Why would I lie to the only real family I have?" Fai asked she was trying to make me feel bad for accusing her. I said nothing. Only held my gaze. Fai's bottom lip began to tremble. 

"Law-" whatever thought she had she didn't voice it. She closed her eyes and let out a deep sigh. 

"Doffy knows I've been in touch with you." She admitted in one short breath. 

"So?" I asked, sure I was a little irked that she hadn't told me, but Doflamingo knowing we were still close didn't surprise me. 

"He's been making me keep tabs on you for him, tell him what you're up to," She explained. 

" _What?"_ I clenched my fists and jaw. 

"I didn't tell him about Luffy, I swear!" She promised. 

"How long?" 

Fai hesitated. "Two years." I let out a deep breath. Was betrayed the right word for how I felt? Probably but that seemed dramatic. She had been keeping tabs on me for that asshole.

"Get out," I grumbled. 

"Law," Fai attempted, her lip trembled stood and reached out to grab my hand. I didn't let her. 

"Get. Out." I said coldly. 

"Law, please, he didn't give me a choice!" She attempted to explain. 

"I don't care, get out," I told her calmly. She had probably expected me to yell at her. Fai bit her lip grabbed her bag and left without saying another word.I forgot Sachi was still here, he was quiet, he had no previous knowledge I had any sort of association with Doflamingo. 

"What?" Sachi mumbled to himself. He glanced over at me. 

"Um, what was the news with Luffy?" He hesitantly asked. 

"Complicated," I said flatly. I wanted to be alone, but I didn't want to ask Sachi to leave. I wasn't completely sure I wanted him to leave either. 

"Huh," Sachi hummed, he seemed to be contemplating something. 

"Wh-" he paused. "Well, I'll see ya tomorrow," Sachi said, patting my shoulder, he left. I sat down and ran my hands through my messy hair. What a mess I've gotten into.

_

I got home late, really late. Everything in town was dark and closed. And I was hungry. 

I went into my kitchen and searched for something small to eat, which doesn't require cooking. There wasn't much. Cereal it is. I finished up and went to my bedroom, gathered some pajamas, took a quick shower and went back into my bedroom. Just as I was about to get into bed I noticed a person. 

There, in my bed. How had I not noticed it the first time I came in? How did they even get in? I leaned over the bed, trying to see who it was. 

Luffy. Several questions sprung into my mind all at once. Luffy was here, in my bed, asleep. Should I wake him up? Let him sleep? Would it be okay if I shared the bed with him? He is my boyfriend after all. I slid under the covers Luffy shifted to his side and cuddled up next to me.

Whatever questions I have can wait until tomorrow.

The next morning I woke up in the same position I fell asleep. Luffy using my shoulder as a pillow, my arm around him, and his arm laying across my chest. I could feel Luffy's warm breath against my neck. It was comforting. I started up at the ceiling, inattentively brushing my fingers along the bare skin of his back. Until I felt fabric I was very familiar with. A bandage, an ace bandage.

I looked over at Luffy, he had scratches all over his arms. I didn't notice this last night? Luffy shifted around, entangling us both in a mess of blankets and limbs. As soon as he settled down he started moving again, stretching. He yawned. Luffy looked up at me, rubbing his eyes, the bandage wrapped around his wrist came loose in the process. 

"Morning Torao!" Luffy smiled. 

"Morning," I responded, running my hand through his hair. 

"When's breakfast?" Luffy asked, of course, food first. 

"What do you want?" I asked.

"Hmm," Luffy hummed "Bacon! And eggs. Oh! Pancakes too!" I smiled at his enthusiasm for food. 

"How about we go out for breakfast?" Luffy smiled. 

"Okay!" Suggesting we go out turned out not to be the best idea. Luffy didn't have any clothes, nothing except what he wore here. Which was a leather vest which was torn, and smelled like old seawater. On top of that, his bandages need to be changed. Luffy had showered and was now wearing an old pair of basketball shorts. It was the only thing I had that would fit him. 

"Luffy-ya, hold still if you're wound isn't properly cleaned you'll get an infection," I warned him. I decided to ask what happened to him later. It was more important that he didn't get an infection of some sort.

"But it tickles!" Luffy retorted, squirming around again. I sighed and re-dampened the towel I was using to clean Luffy's wounds. Mostly the massive burn mark on his chest. There was a knock at the door. 

"Wait here, don't move," I ordered Luffy while I went to the door. A knee tall package was sitting on my doorstep, and a post person was getting back into her truck. 

"I didn't order anything..." I said, no one heard me. The label on the package had Luffy's full name on it. It was stamped overnight. Nami. But how did she get my address? I attempted to lift it, it was too heavy. I brought it inside and left it in the doorway. 

"Who was that?" Luffy asked curiously. 

"Just mail," I said, wanting to keep Luffy where he was so I could finish changing his bandages. We were both quiet for a little while. 

"Luffy-ya?" I asked, finally wrapping a new bandage over the burn. 

"Hm?" Luffy tilted his head. 

"What happened?" I asked. 

"I thought Nami told you," he stated. 

"Well, she told me about Dressrosa, but not anything about after you were arrested," I explained. Luffy was quiet for a while. Then he began to explain how he had tried to get away, but only Sanji did. He said he had been arrested and held, then transported to a branch of Impel down. How they tried to escape but failed, and how he had been 'interrogated' and how they tried to escape again and succeeded. He should be wanted as a fugitive right now. 

"Once we got to talk to Nami we went to look for Jimbei and Thatch but we couldn't find them anywhere!" Luffy explained. 

"Zoro said he'd look more after I left." I moved to take the bandage off Luffy wrist, he jerked it away. 

"You were in the ocean you're gonna get an infection if you don't let me clean it." Luffy bit his lip and held his wrist out to me. 

His scars were cut up. And my mark. I couldn't imagine someone trying to cut up marks like this. There was no reason to cut wrists like this unless you were trying to hurt yourself. I glanced up at Luffy. He was looking away from me. 

Did he do this to himself? Luffy winced as I used an alcohol wipe to clean the cuts. They weren't deep enough to do any real harm. There were no scars to indicate he had done this to himself before...

"Luffy-ya," I said quietly. 

"Hm?" He still wouldn't look at me. 

"Did you do this to yourself?" That got him to look at me. He frowned. 

"No," Luffy spoke defensively. "The crazy bitch that cut Zoro's eye out did that, she went on and about my marks." 

"Okay," I said. I finished cleaning the wounds and wrapped a clean bandage around Luffy's marks. When I was done I looked up at him and stepped a little closer.

"Can I kiss you?" I asked him, getting between his knees and leaning against the counter Luffy was sitting on. Luffy blushed just a bit. 

"Uh-huh." Luffy nodded slowly. I kissed him. My heart fluttered in my chest and I knew this was right. Being with him was right. I pulled him a little closer to the edge of the counter by his waist. Luffy grabbed my shirt. 

I bit his lip and Luffy's lips parted. Luffy pulled on my shirt, assuming he wanted me closer, I pulled him close to me until our chest were pressed together. 

"Ouch," Luffy pulled away, his cheeks pink. Shit, I forgot about his injuries, "I forgot I was hurt." Luffy admitted. Luffy's stomach growled. 

"Let's see if I can find you a shirt and go get something to eat," I said. I stepped back and Luffy hopped off the counter. He walked ahead of me. 

"Whoa, what's in the box?" Luffy asked. I had almost forgotten it. 

"I dunno, it's for you," I responded, grabbing a pair of scissors and taking them to Luffy. Luffy took the scissors and opened up the box. Inside was a bright red suitcase. 

"Oh!" Luffy exclaimed. "Nami must have sent it over!" 

"Now we can go out to have breakfast!" Luffy said joyfully, he pulled the travel bag out of the box and opened it up, revealing a bunch of folded clothes. Luffy took some, closed up his bag and went to change. I took Luffy to a Denny's where he was able to have eggs, pancakes, bacon, and sausage all in one meal. 

We ate there, then I took him back to my house. I had to work today, so Luffy would be left to fend for himself the whole day. I left him money for both lunch and dinner. Luffy's injuries should take a month to heal completely. But I couldn't see him staying in one city much more than a month let alone a tiny town like Flevance. I didn't get back home until late that night, and I was supposed to have the next day off. Luffy was sound asleep, curled up in my blankets yet again.

I sighed and crawled into bed with Luffy once more. Luffy wrapped his arms around me as soon as I settled under the covers, he was just barely awake. I found myself falling asleep much faster with him next to me. 

The next morning I woke up at least an hour before Luffy. He slept with his arm fully stretched over me and drooling on my shirt. Great, that wasn't gross or anything. 

"Torao," Luffy muttered sleepily, his voice muffled into the comforter. Luffy started to kiss my neck in small pecks, slowly moving up until he met my lips. 

First, it was a short brush of the lips, cautious, then another kiss, and another. Each one lasting a little longer. I let my hands fall to his hips, pulling him closer. Luffy's hands had slipped under my shirt. Luffy's touch sent chills down my back. Our kiss had become passionate quickly. I shifted, carefully, staying aware of Luffy's injuries at all times. Luffy broke our kiss, taking heavy breaths. 

"I missed you," he said, with his forehead pressed to my own. 

"Me too," I replied, my breaths just as heavy. An insane claim considering. We were both quiet and unmoving for several moments. 

"Luffy," I muttered. I kissed his cheek and took a deep breath. This might be too soon, but I was sure it was true. Maybe marks weren't a load of crap. "I love you." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edited Aug. 24, 2019


	14. Troubles

**_♤Luffy♡_**  
  
"I love you," Torao said. With the way he was looking at me, he really meant it. Wow, that was intense.

I sat upright and took a deep breath. Wow, okay I didn't expect that to throw me off so much. But he loves me? The thought made me giddy. 

"Uh, you don't have to say it back..." Law muttered. He sat up next to me, rubbing the back of his neck. 

"Huh? Oh!" I smiled at him and tackled Torao onto the mattress, wrapping my arms around him. That hurt more than I thought it would. Oh well. I kissed Torao. 

"I love you too!" I kissed him again. Law chuckled when we pulled apart. 

"I appreciate the enthusiasm," Torao said. I was going to kiss him again but his phone started ringing. Torao grumbled and reached for it. 

"Hello, Bepo," Law answered. He fell silent, listening to whatever his friend was saying. He glanced at me. 

"Hold on," Law turned to me. 

"Do you want to go out with me and my friends later today?" He asked me. I smiled. 

"Of course!" I agreed. I was finally going to meet some of Torao's friends!

"Alright, but I'm going to bring someone with me." He held the phone to his ear a while longer before saying bye and hanging up. I buried my face into Torao's chest. 

"Shishi, I get to meet your friends!" 

"Mhm," Law hummed, running his hand down my back. That felt nice. There was a loud knock at the door. 

"Let me up," Law muttered. 

"Nope."

"Luffy-ya." Torao huffed and poked my side. 

"Okay, okay," I rolled over and Torao got out of bed. He left the bedroom door open. 

"What are you doing here?" He asked whoever was at the door, his voice held anger in it. What was going on?

"Law-" a woman's voice she was going to say she didn't when she noticed me. I got out of bed too and went into the living room. The woman was in the living room with Torao, her arms crossed over her chest. She noticed me.

"Is this the guy you mentioned?" She asked. Law nodded. 

"Luffy-ya, this is my cousin, Fai," Law told me. 

"Oh, hi," I said. 

"Hi, I which we were meeting in better circumstances," Fai said. I shrugged. It didn't matter to me. Fai turned back to Law. 

"I know you don't want me around right now, but there's something you need to know," Fai said, she was talking to Law. Law stayed silent. Waiting for her to say what she had to say. 

"Doffy knows about him," she gestured to me, "he wants to meet him." 

Law frowned. "How?" 

"I don't know, I swear I didn't say anything to him about Luffy or the mark," Fai assured. I was really confused. Who was Doffy?

"When is he going to be here?" Torao asked. 

"I don't know, next week maybe," Fai said. Law sighed. 

"Thank you for telling me, now please leave," Law said. Fai looked hurt, but she walked towards the door. 

"Law, I'm sorry." She said. 

"Goodbye, Fai," Law said coldly. 

"See you later," She said quietly before leaving. 

"What was that about? Who's Doffy?" I asked curiously, jumping into Law's couch.

"My uncle, we don't get along very well," Law explained, sitting next to me. 

"Oh," I said, leaning on Laws shoulder. "What's for breakfast?" What? I'm hungry. 

"What do you want?" Torao asked. 

"Lots of cereal!" I decided. Law smiled. His smile was so nice! 

"What kind?" 

"All of them." 

"That's disgusting," Law said, kissing the top of my head before standing and going to the kitchen. 

"Is not!" I argued. Regardless of his opinion on my food choices, Law returned with a bowl of mixed cereals for me. 

"You're the best!" I said happily, kissing Law's cheek and digging into the breakfast food.   
Law smiled, he turned on the TV with the remote, the channel it was on was halfway through a movie. 

"Guardians of the Galaxy!?" I cheered. Law looked over at the screen, he didn't seem to care much about it. "I love this movie," 

"Hm," Law hummed. "I haven't seen it," 

"No way?" I looked over at Law, he was watching the TV, eating his cereal. I gasped. Law looked at me in confusion. I reached over and took the remote from the insane man. 

"You can't start a movie you haven't seen halfway through!" I turned off the TV. 

"Says who?" Law asked. 

"Then you don't know why they wanna fight the bad guy!" Law seemed to agree with that statement at least. 

"If we can't watch that then what are we going to do?" Law smirked, he was amused by something. 

"We _are_ going to watch it," I stated. "But from the beginning." 

"How so?" 

"Netflix, duh, silly." I shook my head at him. 

"I don't have Netflix." I looked over at Law and blinked. 

"You're crazy. My boyfriend is _crazy_." I took a bite of my cereal. 

"Says the one whose breakfast consists of four different kinds of cereal." Law retorted. I finished off my bowl. 

"Life's too short to eat one cereal at a time." I countered. 

"Life's too short _if_ you eat more than one cereal at a time." Law corrected, finishing the last bite of his cereal. Law took our bowls back to the kitchen. Meanwhile, I set up Nami's Netflix account No one can live without Netflix. Law rejoined me on the couch again. I found Guardians of the Galaxy easy enough. 

We watched a big selection of Marvel and Disney movies through the afternoon and into the evening. When Law started to pick out plot-holes, his words not mine, I would pause the movie until he was done and tell him to just enjoy the movie. 

We were halfway through Aladdin and the Forty Thieves when Law got a phone call. It was a friend of Laws, I had almost forgotten we had plans to meet them.  
After that, we quickly got dressed and once we were we went back to our movie. It wasn't too long before there was a knock at the door. 

"It's open," Law called. The doorknob jiggled. 

"Lying bastard!" A voice shouted back. Law sighed and got up to answer the door. Four men came into the living room, they all looked ready to go out. 

"We're going to Shakky's!" The one wearing a hat that read PENGUIN said. 

"Where's the friend you're bringing? Eh?" Another nudged Law, wiggling his eyebrows at Law. I joined Law and his friends. I suddenly felt nervous to meet these guys. 

"Everyone, this is Luffy," Law place his hand on my back as he spoke. 

"So this is the guy you told me about?" One guy said to Law, he then turned to me. 

"I'm Sachi. That guy is Penguin," he gestured to the guy wearing the penguin hat. "That's Jean Bart," the big looking guy with long, dark hair. "And that's Bepo." Sachi motioned to a tall guy with pale skin and colorless hair. He reminded me of a polar bear. 

"Nice to meet you," I told them all.

"Hey, Law!" Penguin spoke. "You never mentioned him to the rest of us!" Penguin poked Laws chest.

"Let's not worry about that, we've gotta show Luffy here the best bar in town, let's go!" Sachi declared. Law grabbed his keys and the group headed out. We got to the bar in one piece, there weren't a ton of people there, but it wasn't empty either. 

"Hello, boys!" The bartender greeted. 

"Shakky!" Sachi, Penguin, and Bepo all greeted joyfully. 

"Glad to see you too." The woman smiled. We sat down at a table. 

"Drinks?" She asked. 

"Hold on who's driving?" Sachi asked. 

"I-" Law started

"No," Sachi said firmly. "You get to drink tonight."

"I don't want to drink that much," Law argued. 

"Awe, Traffy it'll be fun!" I said. The others laughed. 

"Yeah, Traffy it'll be fun!" Penguin repeated. Law glared at him. "Don't call me that."

"Bepo can drive, right man?" Sachi turned to the albino. Bepo nodded. 

"We need two drivers," Law said. 

"Aye, Shaky can I leave my car here?" Sachi shouted. 

"I don't see why not." Shaky smiled at the group. 

"See, problem solved." 

"There's six of us." Law pointed out. 

"Luffy and Penguin are small, enough to share a seat." Sachi countered. "Or Penguin could always ride on-" whatever Sachi was about to say was cut off by a warning glance from Penguin.

"That's not safe." Law pointed out. 

"Boooooo," Laws friends collectively said to him. 

"Shishishi, Torao are you scared?" I asked Law glared at me. 

"Each one of you are a pain in the ass," Law grumbled. 

"Whooo!" Penguin sang in triumph. The others also seemed to agree. Sachi ordered a round of drinks for us. 

"Hey, Luffy you're part of that dance group right?" Penguin asked. I nodded. 

"What's that like?" 

"Oh, it's super fun! I love it and my friends are so cool!" I exclaimed. 

"What about winter?" Sachi questioned. 

"We usually stay in the warmer areas then! We get to go so many places and meet so many people!" I replied. 

"Where are you from?" Bepo asked curiously. 

"A little island called Goa." Our drinks were brought out to us we thanked Shakky.

"I've never heard of it," Jean Bart commented, taking a drink from his glass. 

"It's super small," I shrugged and took a drink from my own glass. 

"What about your family?" Penguin asked. Law watched me curiously.   
I shrugged. "I was an orphan," I stated. It was just a fact. And I didn't care much for meeting either of my parents. 

"Oh, sorry," Penguin mumbled sheepishly. 

"Don't be," I assured. Law put his arm across my shoulder. 

"Wait, are you guys dating?" Penguin asked, raising his eyebrows at us. The others looked at him in astonishment. 

"You didn't notice?" Jean Bart asked. Penguin shook his head. 

"We are," Law confirmed. Sachi smiled. 

"And look how much happier boss looks! It's about time he got a mark!" Sachi reached over me, took Laws hat off, and made a point of ruffling Laws hair before dropping the hat into Laws lap. 

"You're embarrassing," Law grumbled. I smiled at Law's adorable blush. Law took a drink from his glass. The night only became more lively from there. Someone turned the TV on in the corner, a show was playing it wasn't one I was familiar with. 

"No way!" Sachi laughed, apparently whatever the show was, they knew it. 

"Let's make a game!" Penguin announced. 

"To what?" Bepo questioned.   
"Whenever someone says Krabby Patty, we drink," Penguin announced, the others in the bar cheered to his statement. 

"And when Mr. Krabs laughs!" Jean Bart added. 

"Or when Squidward calls Spongebob an idiot," Sachi stated. More cheers. The show's intro ended and almost immediately people were drinking to it. 

"Awe, Law! Don't be lame, you gotta drink." Penguin insisted. 

"I don't want to drink a lot," Law told him. 

"Then take sips," Jean Bart suggested. The others nodded. 

"Fine," Law agreed, taking a drink as a character filled one of their requirements. 

"You too Luffy!" Penguin added. I took a drink. Sure, I didn't usually like alcohol but this looked fun!

"Yo! Shaky can we get another round?" Penguin shouted across the bar. The woman behind only smiled. 

"Right away." Not too much later, Shaky brought more drinks out. She was both thanked and tipped. The night only became more lively from there. More people started to show up at the bar, soon that game was abandoned because no one could hear it, that and most of the people who had started it, were drunk or near drunk. Including me. I don't have a high alcohol tolerance, by that point I had abandoned my seat for Laws lap. 

"Torao! Kiss me! Shishishi," I sang in a slur. Laws friends suddenly seemed to be paying more attention to us than before. 

"We're in public," Law pointed out. 

"So?" I didn't care. He shouldn't either. Law opened his mouth to say something. Penguin and Sachi started to make kissing noises at us. Law glared at them. I moved closer to Laws lips. 

"Can I have a kiss?" I pouted. Law sighed and close the gap between us. Law kept the kiss short. Penguin whistled. Law flipped him off.   
  


I smiled. "Shishishi. Again?" Law didn't protest this time, he simply gave me a quick, alcohol influenced kiss. 

"Shishi. Again?" I asked once more.

"Last one," Law told me before kissing me yet again. As we came apart this time, cold liquid poured over us. The unexpected cold paired with my drunken state caused me to fall off Laws lap and onto the floor. 

"Sorry, sorry," a voice said. I shook my head, the floor seemed to sway with it. I stood, wobbly and unbalanced, but off the floor. The guy who spilled stuff on us didn't look sorry. 

He looked angry. Law sighed. "Mugiwara-ya are you okay?" I nodded. 

"No harm done," Law told the blond man. I took my place back in Laws lap, Law wrapped his arm around me. The guy looked even angrier. Penguin slid the napkin container across the table to us. My burn was starting to sting. Law started to clean himself up I did the same. The accident was nearly forgotten. Up until it happened again. 

"Good God, I am so sorry." The blond repeated. Sachi glared at him. 

"Don't sound sorry," Law muttered. 

"That wasn't an accident," Sachi told him.

"He said sorry so it must have been," I said, not really thinking about it. 

"You did it on purpose," Sachi told the man. 

"I'm just a klutz," the guy casually shrugged. Sachi glared at him. I stood up, the floor rocked, causing me to sway. 

"You should sit back down," Law said. I paused, trying to understand what Law had said, each word alone made sense but strung together like that made no sense. 

"What?" I asked Law grabbed my arm. Out of confusion, I leaned over Law and kissed his forehead. The blond bumped into me. 

"Hey! That wasn't nice." I told him. Sachi continued to glare at him. 

"Bellamy, don't be an ass, leave them alone, they have marks," a guy from a table near us said. The blond guy seemed to ignore him. Bellamy didn't apologize this time. 

"Why don't you keep that crap to yourself?" The guy seemed angry. 

"What are you talking about?" I questioned. Bellamy cracked his knuckles one at a time on either hand. I tilted my head to one side. 

"Luffy-ya," Law tugged on my arm, I think he was trying to pull me away from the guy. The whole bar seemed to fall silent. I looked at Law, he was watching Bellamy cautiously. Sachi looked ready to jump out of his seat. 

"Torao-" I was cut short by a hard blow to my stomach, knocking me onto the floor.

"Luffy!" Law and his friends all jumped from their seats. 

"Whoa, that kinda hurt," I muttered, I stood, brushing off my soaked sorts. The guy swung at me again, I leaned back. Law put himself in the space between me and Bellamy, towering over the blond. 

"Fuck off," Bellamy yelled at him.

"What are you so mad about?" I asked curiously. 

"Your faggy ass!" He growled. What did that even mean? Oh, right. I thought people didn't care about that stuff anymore.

"Huh-" he moved around Law and swung at me again, scrapping over my jaw. This guy was crazy. 

"Bellamy!" Someone shouted. 

"Rayleigh!" Shaky yelled. An old guy with long white hair and round glasses came out from the door labeled _employees only._ Law pulled him back and punched him. My boyfriend was pretty cool. 

"Don't touch him," Law growled. 

"Woohoo go, Boss!" Penguin cheered. The guy shoved Law against our table, pushing past him and towards me. I took another step back as he tried to hit me again. Anger grabbed at me over his actions.

"Why won't you hit back!?" He taunted. I didn't feel like hitting him, it seemed more work than was he was worth. He did hit Torao though...

"You're not worth the effort." I staggered back, tripping over a chair. 

"Luffy-ya!" Law shouted. That Rayleigh guy came over to us, he grabbed the back of my neck and pulled me to my feet. He didn't look very happy and Bellamy looked scared. 

"Hey! Let me go! Who are you?" I squirmed from his grasp to no avail. 

"Why were you kids fighting?" He questioned. 

"I dunno the guy just started swinging! Let go of me!" I attempted to reach back and grab his arm. Rayleigh's grip tightened and my feet left the ground. 

"Sorry, Rayleigh." Bepo had come over to us. He explained what had happened in a very different way than I had experienced it. Seeing as he was the only sober one, he was probably right. 

"I see," Rayleigh looked over at Bellamy. 

"Why don't you stay home next time you feel like drinking, hm?" The bar fell silent. I didn't get why. Bellamy glared daggers at the man before Rayleigh let him go. His friends gathered him and left the bar. 

"As for you," he looked over at me. 

"Put me down," I told him before he could say any more. My feet hit the ground and Rayleigh let go of me. 

"You're not from here are you?" His voice was suddenly casual.

"No," I wiped any face. 

"Well, I guess I'll have to give you a break, huh?" he smiled. 

"Okay?" I said. 

"Stay out of fights kid," he told me before going back towards Shaky. 

"I think it's time to go," Sachi announced. The others seemed to agree. Law rushed over to me. 

"Your wound reopened," he said quietly to me, leading me out behind the others. I looked down at my shirt. Among the alcohol, there was the dark shade of crimson on my red shirt. 

"Oh," I mumbled. Law put his arm around me as we headed to the car. The six of us did pile up in the car. Four of us in the back seat. I was in Laws lap again. 

"Shishishi, Torao!" I giggled at the look Law wore on his face. "I want a kiss," I told him. 

"Wait," he told me. 

"I want one now." I insisted.

" _Wait."_ He repeated. 

"Can we drop them off first?

" Penguin asked Bepo. 

"Please," Jean Bart agreed. 

"Right!" Bepo agreed as well. 

"Shishishi, Torao!" I moved closer to Law, with little space between our lips. Law turned away so I kissed his cheek instead.

"You're no fun," I complained. "Please, baby?" Law was taken aback by my nickname for him. The others snorted in laughter.

"Only if you never call me that again," Law stated. 

"Deal!" I shouted. Law sighed and kissed me. 

"Shishishi," I hummed as he pulled away. The car stopped. 

"Alright Law, take you and your horny boyfriend out of here!" Penguin stated, leaning over us and pushing the door open. Law blushed. So cute!

"My car..." he muttered. 

"You'll get it back tomorrow boss," Bepo assured. Law nodded and we stumbled out of the car.

"My key," Law said, Bepo rolled down the window and gave it to him.

We barely reached the door when our lips met in a feverish passion. We stumbled inside, Law locked the door behind us. 

"Bandages-" 

"Changed-" he said between kisses.

"That can wait," I replied in one quick breath. I couldn't remember much after Law said he had whiskey and vodka in the back of the pantry.

My head pounded. Oh god, it hurt. I reached out for Torao but couldn't find him. So I rolled over and hit Law's bare chest. I scooted closer to him and wrapped my arm around him. Oh, Torao was naked. 

So was I. 

Did we have sex last night? I closed my eyes trying to remember it. I couldn't. But why else would we be in this state? My head hurt too much to think. 

"Head hurts..." I mumbled, pressing my forehead to Torao's chest. 

"That's a hangover," Law said quietly. 

"It sucks," I replied, groaning.

"We slept together last night."Law murmured after several moments of silence. 

"Oh." I was quiet. So was he. "Are you upset?" 

"Mm, no," Torao drew circles on my back. "I just wanted to remember our _first_ time." 

"Me too," I decided, but it's not like we could change that. I pressed my hands to my temples. That eases some of the pain.

"You need water," Torao said. Consuming _anything_ sounded gross. 

"I feel like puking," I replied. Torao moved to escape. 

"Stay," I pleaded

"I'm just going to the kitchen," Law smiled at me. Torao got up and put on some clothes before he left the room. 

"Why don't you have a hangover?"I asked, sitting up as he came back in with a glass of water. 

"You're smaller, and you drank more than me," Law said, he passed the glass to me. The water looked really good. I chugged it all. Wow, I was thirsty. 

"Oh," I hummed in a small sigh, giving the glass back to me. 

"More?" Law asked. I shook my head.

"Lay with me I don't wanna get out of bed," I declared. 

"Fine but I'm wrapping your burn," Torao replied, kissing my forehead

"That takes so long!"I complained quietly. That hurt my head. 

Regardless of my complaints, Torao went to retrieve the first aid kit.

Once I was bandaged Torao and I got back into bed. I laid on his chest and traces his tattoos with my fingers. The one on his chest was pretty. A heart shape with lots of lines that broke off of the heart. It was my favorite. 


	15. Dilemmas

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For the record, I don't actually know how tarot cards work, I tried my best. And I used some creative liberty privileges. 
> 
> Edit:

"Hawkins you two-faced, backstabbing bastard!" Thatch shouted. Sure, returning to Dressrosa probably wasn't the best decision but what could he say? Dressrosa wasn't that far from where they had washed up and he had business to settle. 

After they reached the shore, Jimbei left. Thatch had waited. 

Just not all that long. 

It had taken those other two so long to reach the shore that Thatch decided to leave. They were out, of course, he was grateful to them but there was no longer a need to stay together. It would complicate things anyway 

Hawkins looked up at him with a bored expression before turning back to his cards. They were in an old house, long ago abandoned. It had squeaky floorboards and faded and chipped paint, the whole package. 

"You escaped." He noted. 

"No thanks to you! You fucknoodle!" Thatch said. "I stink and I haven't showered in a week. You better have a good explanation for the ocean full of shit I just went through!" 

"Relax, it was part of the plan." 

"Part of the plan? Me getting taken to Impel Down was _part of the plan_?" 

"You're being overdramatic, it was only a branch." 

"I don't care! Do you know they captured two other guys along with me? One of them was Luffy! He was tortured and branded for god sake!" Thatch growled. "I don't even want to imagine what Ace would say to me knowing the bitch who did it was still alive!"

"I know." He sighed.

"What do you mean you know?" 

"It's fate, you needed to meet Strawhat," Hawkins explained 

"I've met Luffy," Thatch said. 

"No, you met Luffy before he had scars. Then he wasn't such a large wave. Now you've met Strawhat," 

"I don't care about your fate bull crap, I just want to get revenge for Ace, he deserves at least that." Thatch snapped. 

"Which makes Ace a wave similar to Strawhat," Hawkins muttered, looking down at his cards.

"Big things are about to happen, Strawhat is the leading cause. 

"How could you even know that?" Tatch questioned. 

"It is simply fate," Hawkins stated. Showing him a card with a straw hat on it. It lacked the red band around Luffy's own hat but it was there all the same.   
He revealed another card with a flame on it. "You needed to be able to meet him." 

"Why?"

"He's the only one capable of showing Doflamingo's filth to the public." 

"W-what?" Thatch tried to wrap his mind around all Hawkins was saying. 

"Doflaming will fall soon. It's just a matter of time. Everything he's done will be exposed." 

  
"You're talking nonsense again." Someone just came into the house. 

"Violet," Hawkins hummed, pulling another card. "What do you know of the Strawhats? Are any of them doctors?" 

"Not that I'm aware of." She hummed. 

"Do you know of any doctors involved with the Strawhats." Violet was quiet. Thinking. 

"Maybe, but it's a very small chance." 

"How small?" 

"One in about the population of Flevance." 

"That's not all that small." Hawkins looked down at his cards once more. "What is it?"

"Doflamingo's nephew is a doctor, he's dating someone." 

"Everything is falling into place much quicker than I'd like," Hawkins admitted. 

"Maybe Imple down was unnecessary." Hawkins flipped another card. A double-edged sword wrapped in thorns. "Or maybe it was the only way...." 

"What the hell is going on?" 

"All that's left is..." Hawkins pulled out yet another card, revealing a pink bird. He placed it in the only open place left, next to the strawhat. 

"We need to be ready at a moment's notice," Hawkins said suddenly. 

"Violet, I need to know as soon as the nephew's significant other and Doflamingo meet. And I need a name as soon as possible."

"Alright." She agreed. 

"I am so confused." Thatch sighed, sitting in a chair across from Hawkins. 

"It was all just a trick." This, from another, Killer. "Hawkins set everything up so you'd end up in Impel Down to meet Strawhat." 

"Why did I have to meet him? And even if I did, why that way?" Thatch questioned. 

"Fate decided that way." Hawkins murmured. Thatch should be used to Hawkins by now but he wasn't. Still, he and his cards were the only way to catch the guy who murdered Ace.


	16. Business

**_《Zoro》_ **

Things had been pretty quiet without Luffy. And just plain boring. Nami tapped at her nails across her laptop's surface. 

We were running low on money. That was no secret. With having to get out a Flevance before we had a chance to make up the money they had spent, on top of the leave from Dressrosa. 

Maybe if we hadn't got into so much trouble that last day everything would be fine.   
To wrap all that up. I'm sure paying for mine and Luffy's plane tickets didn't make things better. Nami's stress was infectious. When she got stressed, so did Usopp, Franky, Sanji, and Brook. Even Chopper seemed stressed out. 

"How bad is it?" Robin asked, breaking the silence in the room. 

"Well be stuck in the next town," Nami said, still tapping her fingers. That was getting annoying. 

"Oh?" Robin hummed, sitting on the hotel bed next to Nami. I leaned back against the wall behind me. 

"What about staying an extra week?" Sanji said. 

"Maybe," Nami said. "Since Luffy's been gone, we're not pulling in as much money." Nami crossed her legs and shifted the laptop in her lap. 

"Can we stay an extra week though? After Impel down..." Usopp trailed off. 

"For now it hasn't been a problem. Thanks to Zoro no wanted postings have been issued but he still has to go talk to _them."_

"Something I'm not looking forward to," I added. 

"I see." 

"How's Luffy-bro doing?" Franky asked. "You said he was hurt." 

"I'm not sure, I haven't talked to him since Zoro called, and he doesn't have a phone right now." Nami continued tapping her fingers. 

"What about that boyfriend of his? You called him didn't you?" Robin crossed one leg of the other. 

"Yeah, but he hadn't seen Luffy yet," Nami said. "I'll give him a call later today." 

"If were this short on money, we should switch to all of us dancing," I said. "It brings in the most money." 

"Zoro's right," Usopp agreed. 

"It's what we'll have to do for now," Nami said.

-

Sanji ran a hand through my hair. My eye still ached despite the pain killers I was on. My phone started ringing, Fuck, I just wanted to sleep. 

I opened my one good eye, meeting Sanji's gaze. Sanji leaned forward and gave Zoro a quick kiss. Zoro got up to answer the phone. 

"What is it?" I grumbled. Sanji still ran his hands through my hair. 

"You need to report," Akainu said. I already did that for Arlong and I hadn't had an assignment since then. It had to be because of Impel Down. 

"When are you sending someone here?" I asked.

"In person." That was weird. I haven't had to do an in-person report since Kid. 

"That's never been necessary before. Besides I don't have the cash to get outta here right now." I looked over at Sanji.

"You don't need to worry about that, you have a flight at 10 am tomorrow. Bring Strawhat along."

"He's not here," I said simply. Aside from it being the truth, I didn't want to drag Luffy into my work again. Not after the last time.

"Where is he?" 

"Hell if I know, he was hurt and is staying with someone until he's better." At least that wasn't a complete lie. 

"You have no idea where he is?" Akainu questioned. 

"No." 

"What about the others in that group of yours? Surely one of them must know." I got to my feet. This conversation was making it difficult to stay still. 

"Doubt it, besides, we have no way of contacting him." It made no sense, why was Luffy needed at all? My report had always been enough for them before. Akainu paused. He was probably trying to pick apart a lie. It was a lie, but only partial. 

"I guess you'll have to be enough then," Akainu muttered. 

"I suppose so," I agreed, hanging up the phone.

"What was that about?" Sanji asked curiously. 

"They want me to go to the headquarters to report." Sanji nodded. "They want Luffy to go with me." 

"Oh," Sanji hummed. "You're going to be gone again. How long?" 

"I don't know. I'm leaving tomorrow morning." I sighed and ran a hand through my hair. 

"Well, the sooner you leave, the sooner you'll be back."

"Couldn't have said it any better." I walked back over to Sanji and kissed him. Sanji smiled and pulled me a little closer. 

* * *

The following morning I boarded a plane to Enies Lobby, from there, I was put on a private jet to Marine Ford. The headquarters for the world government. Marine Ford was a small uncharted island, no one knew where it was save for a selected few, most of them being a network of assassins. It consisted of about 100 assassins and 50 consultants. Small, and most importantly, discrete. I had been working for them since I was a kid. 

The build was grand and tall and show-offy. The first floor was the assassins floor. No one who didn't know about them ever saw the building so there was no need for secrecy. The middle floors were rooms and a hospital as well as map rooms and meeting places. The upper floors, offices, and the very top floor was for the five elders. At least that was the rumor.

The first floor was big, will tall glass windows and sleek design. All marble and dark. Many of the co-workers winced as I passed by. I had taken off my bandages. Let them see the ugly scar healing over my eye. I didn't give a shit. 

"Aye! Zoro!" None other than Johnny exclaimed, coming up on my blind side. That was still difficult to get used to. 

"Holy shit, what happened to you man?" 

"Don't worry about it," I replied. 

"Alright, what brings you here?" Johnny asked, still walking alongside me. 

"Reporting." 

"Just that?" Johnny asked. 

"Apparently, what are you doing here?" This I asked out of courtesy. 

"Yosaku's sick again," Johnny explained. "We were out at sea on an assignment and the idiot got scurvy." 

"He okay?" 

"Doc says he'll be fine -Hey, Kaku!" 

Zoro turned to the long-nosed man, he was a newer consultant. But he was no stranger to the assassination game.

"Akainu is waiting for you," Kaku said to me, only nodding to Johnny in response. "That cut looks bad." 

"Well, it hurt like hell," I replied. "He in his office?"

"Last I checked."I nodded, waved Kaku a goodbye and headed to the elevator. 

"Well, I should check on Yasaku, see ya," 

"Tell him 'hi' for me." With that Johnny left. I entered the elevator and pushed a button taking me to the upper floors of the building. It didn't take long. 

Once I was there the elevator opened to a wide, clean, white room, offices were separated by both glass and wood, most the office walls consisted of glass. I walked through the floor until I found Akainu's office, and behind the thin glass wall, the man himself. Usually, none of us had to report to Akainu directly, it was always a messenger I reported to. 

I knocked on the glass. Akainu didn't bother looking up. 

"Sit Roronoa." I did as told, leaning back in the chair and resting one foot on my knee. 

"You were arrested for terrorism?" He asked. 

"Yup." 

"Why?" 

" Wrong place, wrong time," I explained. 

"Report on your imprisonment." And I did. Just as I was trained. In detail from the moment we got into the square, up until Luffy and I reached the beach. I explained the stunt the Stawhats had devised and how the others had gotten away and how me and Luffy were arrested. I didn't leave out Thatch or Jimbei either. Akainu didn't like the mention of that name. 

"Very well." Akainu finally said. 

"I can clear everything for you and Strawhat." He paused. "You need to hunt down the other two, they're liabilities. I don't care how you do it. But I want at least Jimbe alive. The other one, either way." 

"I have no idea how to find them," I stated bluntly. 

"You have full access to all the governments information." Akainu reminded him. I bit my tongue, holding back any argument. I knew better than to fight these people. Akainu could see through me without a doubt. 

"I'm not hesitant to remind you what happened the last time you went against orders," Akainu said sternly. 

I scoffed. "I know." 

"Then you'll do it, you have two months. Call anyone you need to do it, don't go outside the regulations." 

"I know." 

"You're dismissed." 

"Oh, and you should see a doctor about that eye. See if your blind in it and whatnot." Akainu waved his hand. I stood from my seat and left without another word. How the hell was I supposed to find those two?  
I sighed and went down to the first floor again. This was why I needed to come all the way back here? My ticket back was scheduled for a week from yesterday. This was bullshit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edited Aug. 24, 2019


	17. Slow

_**♡Law♡** _

Luffy was laying on my chest again, that seemed to be his favorite place. We were both laying on the couch, I was reading while he was watching T.V. He yawned, then shifted.

"Torao?" I could feel Luffy looking at me. 

"Hm?" I hummed, not taking my eyes from my book. 

"Toraooo!" Luffy said in a sing-song voice. 

"What?" I asked looking over at him. Luffy answered my question by kissing me. Oh. Luffy shifted again, now our chests were pressed together. There was a knock at the door. I set my book on the arm of the couch. 

"Shouldn't you-" kiss "answer-" kiss "that?" Luffy asked. 

"They'll go away," I said quickly, kissing Luffy again. There was a long pause before another knock. We both ignored it. I'm not sure what Luffy was trying to accomplish, but he leaned towards the edge of the couch. We both fell. Luffy bit my lip as he hit his head on the floor. 

"Ow!" Luffy gasped. I touched my finger to my lip. I winced at the stinging sensation.

"Torao, you're bleeding!" Luffy exclaimed, running his thumb across the wound. I winced again at the sting. 

"You hit your head, are you okay?" 

"What? I'm fine." Luffy replied. There was another knock at the door, this one more insistent. I sat up and licked my bottom lip. Not the best medical procedure to deal with this. 

Another knock. 

"I don't think they're going away," Luffy observed, also sitting up. 

"Law open the damn door." My heart jumped to my throat at the voice. 

"Oh fuck." I cursed. "What's the matter?" Luffy questioned. 

"It's my uncle," I muttered. 

"Oh! The guy Fai mentioned?" I nodded. "Well it can't be too horrible, he's only visiting."

"I don't know about that," I mumbled. 

"Law!" The doorknob jiggled. I sighed and went to the door, licking my lip again, maybe it'll be less noticeable that way. Sure enough, Doflamingo looked annoyed and impatient. 

"Doflamingo, what are you doing here?" 

"What? I can't visit my nephew?" Doflamingo questioned. I rolled my eyes as he let himself in. 

"Besides, I heard you got a mark. And what good uncle wouldn't want to meet their nephew's significant other?" He said after I didn't respond. I let out a deep breath. As Luffy said, he'll be gone soon. Doflamingo went into the living room. The overwhelming urge to keep him from seeing Luffy came over me. I didn't want Doflamingo anywhere near him. 

"Yo," Luffy said as a greeting, at least he was on the couch now. Doflamingo seemed a little surprised to see him. Fai had said he knew about Luffy. Maybe it was just a suspicion. Maybe me having a mark was also, just a suspicion of his. 

"Who's this, Law?" Doflamingo asked, he wore a grin that said he knew something others didn't. 

"I'm Luffy, who're you?" Luffy responded before I had the chance to speak. 

"Donquixote Doflamingo," Doflamingo said. Luffy froze. He looked up at the birdman. 

"You're that guy that was attacked a while ago," Luffy observed. 

"That's true." Doflamingo hummed. I wasn't sure what to do or how to respond to this situation. 

"You don't look like you were attacked." It was a blunt observation from Luffy and nothing more. Doflamingo snorted a laugh. 

"You don't look like you were imprisoned, Monkey D. Luffy of the Strawhats." Luffy was well known, it shouldn't come as a shock to me that Doflamingo knew about him in the public sense. And of course, Doflamingo would be informed of the suspects to his attack, granted there was no actual investigation, not from the way Luffy described everything anyway. 

"I broke out," Luffy stated so bluntly. This isn't good. Doflamingo isn't someone to be trusted. 

"Interesting." Doflamingo cocked his head to the side. It was hard to tell what he was thinking, his eyes being covered by his pink glasses. "I don't recall seeing any wanted postings." Luffy shrugged. That was strange. Why weren't there any? Sure it was great that Luffy wasn't a wanted terrorist. But why? I shook the thoughts from my mind. I'd have to ask Luffy about it later. 

"Oh well," Luffy leaned back against the couch. 

"How have you been Law?" Doflamingo asked, changing the subject immediately. 

"Fine," I replied harshly, not wanting him to be here. Or near Luffy for that matter. 

"No need to be so defensive. Relax." Doflamingo insisted, still wearing that grin. Fuck off. I didn't respond. Better to not wake the demons. "That wasn't much of a response, you know?" This, he said after a few moments of silence. "How're things at the hospital?" 

"Fine," I repeated. Luffy watched the encounter silently. Whatever he was thinking I couldn't tell. 

"You really waste your talent here in this tiny town Law, why not work in Dressrosa, hell, with your skill, you could work for the government," Doflamingo said, his tone was taunting. I would rather be dead than work for the World Government. 

"I like Flevance," I muttered. 

"C' mon Law, the government will want you dead or under their control when they figure out you survived the white-"

"Don't talk about that!" I snapped. He had no right to bring up _that._ Doflamingo smirked. Like I had fallen into his trap. Maybe I had, but it hasn't been sprung yet.

"What? The white lead disease? Rocinante?" He questioned. I glared at him, meeting his gaze. He knew damn well what I meant. Luffy stayed surprisingly quiet. "Or do you mean Lami and-"

"You know what I mean," I told him. Doflamingo's smirk grew into a grin. 

"It really is rude to talk over other people," Doflamingo said. I had to remember I couldn't let Doflamingo see any trace of real emotion from me, he'd apart the weakness and find a way to use it against me. 

"Wouldn't Luffy like to know about your past?" Doflamingo looked over at him. 

"Leave him out of this." He turned his attention back to me. "Why? You share a mark, don't you?" 

"That's not the point. He has nothing to do with this." Doflamingo watched me, waiting for me to say something. I risked a glance at Luffy. He wasn't watching us with a curiosity anymore, his gaze was leveled, arms cross over his chest. Why was it suddenly so difficult to read his expression? He didn't seem angry...

"I'd assume the opposite." He said after a long pause. Luffy stayed quiet. None of us said anything. The tension in the air was almost suffocating

"You should leave." I finally said, fully expecting an annoyed and angry reaction. 

Doflamingo frowned. "I don't think so." I sighed. It was worth a shot. 

"You see, I did come here for a reason," Doflamingo said. Big surprise there. "I-no, your family needs you back in Dressrosa."

"None of _them_ are my family," Law said. Doflamingo chuckled. "What about Baby 5?" 

" _Fai_ is different, I'm _not_ going back there," I said firmly. He'd have to drag my dead body there. 

"You'll either come willingly or I'll give you no choice," Doflamingo warned. Luffy glared at him but still remained silent. He knew this was mine to deal with. 

"Leave," I said more firmly, making it clear it wasn't a suggestion. Doflamingo smirked at me.   
"See you soon, Law," Doflamingo said letting himself out. 

"Or not," I muttered as the door closed. A fit of anger I was unaware of seemed to consume me at that moment. I walked into the kitchen without reason, and without thought, I punched the fridge. It did more damage to my hand than it did to the fridge. It was a fruitless action. I took one long stride to the sink and turned the cold water on. The sound itself seemed calming enough. I splashed water on my face and dried off with a hand towel hanging from a cabinet handle. I left the tap on. I felt Luffy wrap his arms around me. I hadn't realized he had followed me.

He didn't say anything. Only hugged me. I'm not sure how long we stayed like that. A while, most likely. The feeling of Luffy's heartbeat against my back and the sound of the water seemed to help me get a handle on my emotions. 

"That dumb fridge deserved it." Luffy finally said. I let out a small laugh and turned the water off. 

"You think so?" I asked. Luffy nodded. I felt the movement rather than saw it. A long pause. 

"Your lip is still bleeding," Luffy said quietly. I ran my tongue over the injury again, it didn't sting anymore but it definitely tasted like blood. I sighed and turned to face Luffy. I returned his hug, both arms tightly wrapped around him, burying my face into his soft hair. 

"I love you," Luffy said. 

"I love you too," I replied. Luffy pulled away from our embrace and stood on his toes, I met him halfway. Luffy lips were soft against mine, he pulled my shirt into his fists. It lasted only for a moment. 

"Let's go for a walk!" Luffy declared. 

"What? Why?" I asked. 

"Why not?" Luffy shrugged, smiling up at me. 

"Okay..." I agreed. Luffy's grin grew wider. We got our shoes on and went out into Flevance. Luffy held my hand the entire time. Leading us in whatever direction his impulses took us. We talked about many small things. Luffy talked mostly about his friends and all the fights they had gotten into before. And I told him about Corazon, my uncle who raised me from the time I was 10. He was Doflamigos brother, but he was also the complete opposite of that man. He was loud and caring, and overall, inhumanely happy, all the time. 

A lot like Luffy. 

We didn't get back home until the sun was starting to set. Just as we did my phone began to ring. The number wasn't one I knew. 

"Who is this?" I answered, sitting on the couch.

"Is Luffy there?" The caller asked rather than identifying themselves. Great manners. 

"Oi, let him know who you are first, asshole!" A voice in the background ordered. 

"Oh, this is Zoro, can I talk to Luffy?" 

"Yeah," I moved the phone away. 

"Luffy-ya!" I called, he had gone into the kitchen, no doubt for something to eat.   
He came back out with some of the pop tarts I had gotten for him last week. 

"Hm?" He hummed opening the silver package. 

"Phone, Zoro-ya, they said." I gave him my phone. Luffy stuck it between his shoulder and ear, returning to the kitchen. 

"Oh! So you didn't find them?" Luffy said as he walked away. 

I stared up at my ceiling. Luffy's burn was looking pretty well, he could move pretty freely without the bandages without the burn opening up now. Though that hadn't stopped him before.   
  
Within the next couple days, he should be able to dance again without a problem.   
I assumed that's how long he'd be staying, just for his wound to heal. He's already been getting bored too. He likes to travel and dance, and it makes him happy so I'd never want to keep him from doing that. But of course, I didn't want him to leave so soon. 

"Torao," Luffy had come back into the living room apparently he had already consumed the pop tarts. 

"Hm?" I hummed as he put himself in my lap. I wrapped an arm around him. 

"When should this be healed?" Luffy pointed at his chest. 

"Enough for you to dance? A few days, maybe a week." I told him. Luffy nodded. 

"He says a few days," Luffy repeated into the phone. 

"Okay," he chirped, one more pause. 

"Okay see ya!" But he didn't hang up. 

"Hi, Nami!" Luffy greeted, shifting to be more comfortable in my lap. Luffy continued to talk on the phone for a few more minutes, before saying bye and hanging up. 

He gave my phone back to me. 

"I'm going to Saboady next Friday," Luffy informed.

"Six days," I noted. Luffy nodded. 

"Let's go on a date!" He suddenly declared. 

"Anywhere in mind?" I asked. 

"Umm...." he hummed. "What about that cool looking restaurant by the amusement park?" Luffy asked. 

" _Amber_?" I questioned, it was the only fancy restaurant in town. Luffy nodded. I smiled at him.

"How does 6 tomorrow work for you?" I asked. Luffy smiled back. 

"Shishishi! Perfect!" Luffy beamed, leaning his head against my shoulder.

* * *

Luffy was meeting me at the restaurant, I was just getting off work, trying to avoid anyone who might recognize me. As long as someone didn't need my immediate attention I could leave.   
I managed it easy enough. It was a little later then I wanted to leave but only by a few minutes.   
I stopped by my house, it was empty Luffy must have already gone to Amber. 

I changed and headed for the restaurant. 

I walked in to be greeted by a host wearing an all-black suit with a single white rose in the pocket. He welcomed me and I gave him my name. I had made the reservation yesterday.

The host led me to my table, where Luffy was waiting for me, rocking a glass of water on the edge of the bottom of the cup. 

"Hey you," I greeted Luffy, taking my seat across from him. He had combed his hair. Luffy was wearing a button-down dress shirt with the top button undone and without the tie. He looked handsome, without a doubt. But the outfit didn't match him. 

"Torao!" Luffy greeted enthusiastically and with a smile. "Now we can order, I'm starving." He stated. Luffy picked up the menu, I did the same.

"Woah, everything here has a face," Luffy observed immediately.

"What did you expect?" I asked, flipping the page of the menu, so far I had seen about two things that have a face. 

"I dunno," Luffy flipped the page while his stomach growled audibly. I looked up at him, though his face was partially hidden behind the menu I could still see the light blush across his cheeks.

Cute. 

"Argh, there are too many choices," Luffy muttered, sinking back into his chair a little, no doubt pouting. 

"What do you want?" I asked him. 

"Meat!" Luffy immediately said. 

"Get meatballs," I suggested. It was an option, and the description sounded like it had a lot of food. 

"Oh! You're so smart!" Luffy decided with a big smile. As soon as we had both set down our menus the waitress came by and took our orders. The food was amazing, and it was unrivaled.

Luffy informed me, that while the food was good, no one on the planet could cook like his friend Sanji. As for the bill, since Amber was the only restaurant of its kind in Flevance, it wasn't as expensive as most fancy places would be. 

We left satisfied.

Luffy was touchy the entire ride home if it hadn't been for me driving he probably would have been in my lap. I wasn't protesting. Luffy and I barely made it through my front door when he pulled me into a lust-filled kiss. Our lips crashed together in a frantic and erotic fashion. Luffy pulled my shirt into his fists, walking backward and leading us, stumbling, into the living room, bumping into furniture. I wrapped one arm around Luffy, pulling close to me as we stumbled.

"Luffy-ya?" I questioned between two of these long and messy kisses. Luffy only replied by kissing me again, pulling off my jacket, and pushing me onto the couch. 

He straddled me I pulled him close to me until our bodies were completely pressed against each other. Luffy ran his hands through my hair, pulling it as he clenched his fist against my scalp.

"Torao," Luffy hummed a sigh against my lips. I untucked his shirt and slipping my hands underneath it. Luffy's skin was warm and inviting, the fabric between us was rapidly becoming infuriating. 

"Mmmm," Luffy sighed, moving his lips down to my neck. 

"Ah, Mugiwara-ya..." I hummed and Luffy started to bite at my skin. 

"Torao," Luffy said, his breath hot against my flesh. "I want you to fuck me." It was phrased as a demand. His voice sent chills down my back. Luffy returned to biting my neck, rocking his hips against mine. Luffy hands hovered over the buttons of my shirt. Luffy pulled away and met my eyes as if asking permission.

I nodded. Immediately Luffy started to unbutton my top, rushed and sloppy. I grabbed both his hands to stop him before he could get the second button. He gave me a questioning look. I kissed him. 

"No need to rush," I said, pressing our foreheads together.

"You're right," Luffy agreed with deep breaths, kissing me once more, taking the removal of my clothing slower than before. I shifted Luffys weight, slowly, until I could easily hold his weight.

Luffy seemed to understand what I was doing, he wrapped his legs tightly around my waist. The process was a little awkward but neither of us cared. I lifted Luffy and carried him to my bedroom, kicking the door closed behind me. All the meanwhile Luffy and I shared kisses. Luffy, with his arms around my neck, ran his hands through my hair. I laid Luffy on the bed, on his back as gently as I could manage, Luffy kept his legs locked around my waist. I slowly unbuttoned his shirt, making sure to let my fingers brush over his soft, warm skin.

"Torao!" Luffy exclaimed, impatience in his voice. I started to rock my hips against his, slowly while kissing him gently. And just, _slow_. I pushed my tongue into his mouth, Luffy tried to make things go faster, but I wouldn't allow him to. 

"Ahhghhhmhmm..." the sound that came from Luffy's throat was deep and lustful, and _impatient._ The hairs on the back of my neck stood. Luffy continued to unbutton my shirt, just as rushed as before. Luffy liked things fast. I let him finish removing my shirt before pinning his hands to the mattress with our fingers interlocked. This relationship had moved much too fast for my liking, hell, we had already had sex once and neither of us remembered. 

This time we'd go at _my_ pace. Starting slow.

Luffy growled at the restriction. I didn't budge. 

Finally, I let him go, mostly so I could finish undressing him. His hands immediately flew to my pants, unbuttoning them and unzipping them. I took his hands and pinned him back to the mattress and reestablished our pace. 

Luffy whimpered against my lips, biting my bottom lip. I winced, it was still sore from the other day. I let Luffy go again. He didn't try to rush anymore, he ran his hands through my hair instead. 

Luffy broke our kiss. 

"I want the bandages off too." He informed me, breathing heavily. I shifted off of him. "Sit up," he did as told. I started to unwind the fabric around his torso, kissing his neck and shoulders as I did so. Underneath the bandages was an X shaped burn across Luffy's chest. In most places, it remained pink from healing. In others, it was still blistered, and in few, it had turned to a scar.   
Luffy laid back down, and I hovered over him, grinding and kissing once more this time going faster. 

"Does it still hurt?" I asked between kisses. Luffy shook his head and said nothing. I moved a little faster, Luffy groaned. He started to grow hard.I undid Luffy's pants, slowly starting to push them off, leaving behind his boxers. 

"Torao, faster _please_ , I'm horny _now_ ," Luffy begged, the voice was almost whiny. 

_Fuck._ He was making me hard too.

"Be patient." I urged, keeping my voice low. Luffy kicked off his shoes as I pushed his pants down lower. To Luffy's demand, I did quicken our pace, allowing Luffy to frantically detach the rest of my clothing from me. Luffy continued his attempts to go faster unsuccessfully. 

I finished undressing him and reached for a pillow to put under Luffy. I sought out my nightstand drawer to get lube. I coated my fingers in the stuff. 

"Torao, please-ahhg-" Luffy moaned as it slid my fingers into him without warning. I looked up at Luffy as I stretched him out, meeting his lust filled gaze. Luffy's moans made me impatient, I wanted him louder, I wanted him panting. 

"Tora-ahhhh," Luffy hummed, his breathing getting heavier. I pulled my fingers from him and smeared the lube over my dick. 

"Traffy hurry," Luffy whined, I positioned myself over him.

"Faah-fuck gahmmmm," Luffy gasped and moaned as I pushed into him. Shit, Luffy was tight. Luffy's back arched, he squeezed his eyes shut, and moaned. I started to kiss Luffy again, biting his lip and letting my fingertips ghost over his sides. I broke our kiss only to kiss at Luffy's neck.

Once Luffy had adjusted to my size I started thrusting, slowly.

"Hmm, Luffy-ya..." I sighed involuntarily. Luffy moaned with each thrust. I gradually picked up the pace, as did Luffy's moans and pants, until the bed was rocking against the wall. The sounds put me into pure bliss.

"Faster, Tor-ahhhh," Luffy attempted to swallow a moan. I slowed, tracing Luffy's bare skin down his chest and stomach to his nearly forgotten erection. Luffy dug his nails into my back as I started to run my hand up and down his dick in rhythm to my thrusts. I groaned in a mix of pain and pleasure while Luffy ran his nails into my tattooed back. Fuck it felt good. 

"Torao, fuh-fuck me faa-faster" Luffy panted, sending goosebumps crawling across my skin."Traffy, you feel so goo-ahhh," Luffy groaned. Luffy arched his back again, tightening around me. 

"Fuck, Luffy," I growled, he scratched me harder. Luffy relaxed and buried his face in my shoulder. Soon I felt his hot tongue against my skin, damp with sweat. 

"You're going to leave a mark," I said panting. Luffy moaned into my neck, them bitting at my skin. "Mugiwara-ya..."

"Torao, I-" Luffy started to say before coming over my hand. I was close too. After that Luffy was only a mess of moaning and painting. His head fell back against the sheets as he let out long and drawn out moans, completely uncontrolled. 

"Torao-good-fuuuck," Luffy's voice was driving me insane. 

"M-Mugiwara-ya... I'm going to-"

"Cum in me Torao," Luffy demanded needfully and breathlessly. And I did. I pulled out and pressed my forehead against Luffys. Luffy looked up at me sleepily. 

"Fuck, I love you," I muttered, kissing Luffy lightly, breathing too heavily to properly kiss him.   
I collapsed on my back next to Luffy, the marks he left stinging a little. Luffy rolled onto his side, wrapping his arms around me, settling into the space between my arm and side and adjusting the covers and pillows to be more comfortable. 

"I love you." He said sounding tired and lazily kissing my shoulder. I kissed the top of his head.

"I love you more," 

"Nuh-huh," Luffy mumbled with a sigh against my neck. 

"Are you sleeping?" I asked Luffy quietly, his breath and heartbeat had leveled quickly. 

"Mhm," Luffy hummed shifting ever so close to me. I let my fingers lights brush down Luffy's spine. 

"Mmm," he hummed quietly, I kissed his forehead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edited: Aug. 24, 2019


	18. Unexpected

**_♤Luffy♡_ **

"Luffy-ya..." Law muttered, his breath was warm against my ear. Torao was so warm and comfy, why was he trying to wake me? I only sighed and let my mind be pulled back into sleep. Torao didn't want to let me do that. Why? It must be way too early to be awake.

"You need to at least let me up." He said softly. Well, when you talk like that I only want to sleep, silly. Law stroked my back, that felt nice. I hummed to let him know I liked it. Another sigh, I wasn't sure if that was me or him that time. "Mugiwara-ya," he repeated, gently shaking me now. 

"Hmmm?" I hummed. He only continued to shake me. 

"No," I grumbled, snuggling closer to him. 

"I need to get up," No you don't. 

"Nuh-huh," I mumbled into his chest. Another sigh, it was definitely Law that time. 

"Luffy," This was a whisper against my ear, followed by kisses down my neck. I slowly opened my eyes, damn him. I left my own trail of kisses on his neck.  
"Let me up, I have to go to work," Torao said. 

"Nuh-huh," I repeated.

"Mugiwara-ya..." Reluctantly, I rolled off of him and onto the mattress. Law got up, and I couldn't help but stare at my beautiful, sexy boyfriend. Law walked over to his dresser, looking for clean clothes and I just watched him. Law looked over his shoulder at me with a lazy smirk. 

"See something you like?" He asked. 

"Definitely," I replied. Law leaned over me, only half-dressed and kissed me. Why couldn't he just stay in bed with me again? Just a little bit longer? Law turned back to his dresser, turning his back on me. There were scratch marks over his tattoo. Where did that come from? Did I do that last night?

"Did I do that?" I asked. 

"Do wha- oh... yeah." 

"Does it hurt?" 

"Not a bit," That's good I suppose. 

"Law! Man hurry up!" One of Law's friends yelled from the living room. I think it was Sachi. I didn't know his friends were here. Law went to the bedroom door with a shirt in hand.

"You can leave without me," he said walking out the door. 

"That's true, but-"

"What is _that?!"_ Penguin asked, yelling over Sachi. There seemed to be a lot going on. I decided to get up too. It hurt to stand! I limped over to the dresser, and my suitcase, pulling on a clean set of underwear and one of Torao's hoodies. Why did he have a hoodie out anyway? It's summer! 

I walked out into the living room where Penguin, Sachi, and Law were, him now fully dressed. Penguin looked at me wearing a smirk that only meant he was up to something. It was the same face Usopp made when we were about to pull a prank. 

"Hey, Luffy!" Penguin greeted, leaning on my shoulder. Law glared at him. 

"I've got to know, _how_ did Law get those scratches on his back?"

"Me," I answered. Law looked a little surprised. I wasn't sure why. Sachi started laughing. 

"Enough of this, we're already late," Law said, he sounded annoyed. 

"Law's just that good in bed?" Penguin asked, ignoring Law. 

"Don-"

"Yep," I answered before Law could finish his sentence. 

"Luffy-ya!" Law was turning red. Sachi was just losing his shit now. 

"What? You are!" Law blushed even more. Penguin snorted in laughter too. 

"Let's go," Law insisted. Sachi and Penguin didn't argue this time. 

"Alright, see ya around Luffy," Penguin said. 

"See ya later Luf-ster," Sachi said as they headed for the door. Law sighed and muttered something under his breath. He grabbed his keys and followed the other two. 

"Oh! Torao! Wait!" I called, running to the door, ignoring the limp, before he could close it. Law stopped at the door. 

"What?" 

"Kiss?" Law and I shared a quick kiss. 

"See you," he said. 

"See ya." We kissed again before he left. 

I decided to get dressed in my own clothes. I went out. Well, only after breakfast of course! But I went out. I had no plan really. Just to explore what there was to explore. I should have done this days ago! I pocketed the extra key Law keeps on top of the door frame and headed towards the beach. 

I haven't been to a beach in a while after all. It wasn't a very far walk, and it wasn't hard to get there. I just followed the seagulls, and the water once I could hear it. The beach was cool and sandy, littered with rocks and seashells. There weren't many people out either. 

Once I reached the sand I ran for the water. It was so open and endless, and _free._

A wave crashed upon the sand, flowing quickly over my feet, rushing past me. It scared me at first, I forced down any bubbling fear that tried to control me. I stood completely still until the water rushed back towards the ocean. At that point, I moved away from the water. I loved the ocean but being in it was terrifying. I walked along on the beach, right at the ever-changing water line. 

Nothing was freer than the ocean.

After the beach, I wandered around the town with no real destination in mind. There was a lot going on despite how small Flevance was. Everyone seemed to at least recognize each other, which made others take second glances at me when I walked by. A couple of girls seemed to know me though, they were a couple of years younger than me, I think. They seemed really happy to meet me. It was cool! It didn't take long to explore the town. 

Everyone was so busy and so consumed with what they were doing, it seemed like there was some sort of inside secret. I was back at Law's house by the afternoon. Law was home! I walked in and Law was on the couch flipping through important-looking papers. 

"Hi!" I greeted, leaning over the back of the couch and kissing Law's cheek. 

"Hey," Law mumbled in distraction. Law was quiet for a moment before he set the papers on his lap and gave his attention to me. 

"Where've you been?" 

"I went to the beach, and I wandered around town. Oh! Look I found this super cool shell!" I said, pulling out a flat, disk-like shell. Law looked at it, taking it and brushing what sand was left. 

"I don't know what it's called though." 

"It's a sand dollar." Law gave it back to me. 

"Oh. Fish need money?" 

Law laughed at that. "I guess so." I turned the shell over in my hand, looking at the veins that ran across the back of it. 

"We can go get more if you want." Law offered. 

"I do!" I exclaimed, climbing over the couch to sit next to Law. "Let's go!" 

"We can't go now, we have to wait until morning, by now the shells will have been taken by other people or crushed by waves," Law explained. 

"Oh," I muttered. 

"We can go tomorrow morning if you get up early enough. I still have to work but I've got some time in the morning." Law explained. 

I nodded. "It's a date!" Law smiled and kissed me. 

"Mhm," he hummed turning back to the paper he had. 

"What's that?" I asked. 

"Paperwork I shouldn't have to do," Law muttered. I didn't ask any more questions. The next morning Law woke me up early. He kissed the back of my shoulder and started kissing up my neck. 

"Do you still want to got to the beach?" He asked sleepily.

"Mhm," I hummed as Torao continued to kiss me. "Breakfast?" 

"Fastfood?"

"Okay." 

Law sat up. "C' mon, before you fall back asleep." 

"I'm not," I muttered. Law pulled the blankets off me, the evil bastard. 

"Okay," I sighed getting up. 

"Hurry up the faster we get ready the more time we have," Law said, yawning. I stretched and got out of bed. It wasn't long before we were sitting in the car finishing our food to the sunrise. Too bad we couldn't see the sun over the ocean. But the sky was still pretty either way. I finished my food first. 

"Hurry! Let's go!" 

"Give me 5 more minutes," Law said, taking a drink from his coffee. I tucked my hands under my thighs. It felt like forever before Law was finally done with is food!

"Torao c' mon," I pressed, grabbing Law's hand and pulling him down the dirt pathway to the cool, sandy beach. After he had taken off his shoes and rolled his jeans up to his knees. I pulled him right up to the water, at least to the point where the waves stopped. There was so much more space than when I was here yesterday. 

"We got to get closer to the water to find whole shells," Law stated, heading out towards the water. I followed Law until waves rushed over his feet, then mine. It was only enough water to flow over my toes, still, I didn't want to be any closer. 

"Luffy-ya?" Law questioned. 

"I'm scared," I admitted. Law seemed confused. 

"Of what?" 

"The open water..." I was embarrassed to say it out loud. It sounded so stupid. 

"What? I couldn't hear you," Law came back over to me. 

"I'm scared of the open water..." I repeated. 

"Oh," Law hummed, he looked down at me for a moment, then glanced about our surroundings.

"The water at our feet too?"

"No, just when the waves come..." My face grew hot. How could I be afraid of something so harmless? Standing here, with Law the water didn't seem so terrifying. 

"Would it help if I hold your hand?" Law asked. 

"Maybe..." I kicked at the sand, splashing water up too.

"Do you want to try?" Law's voice was quiet and casual, not pressing or insistent. It was just water, not even knee-deep. Like a bath, yeah! It would be like a bath. A cold, bath with fish and plants and sand and an open current that could easily pull me out into the ocean where I couldn't sw- No! Just a little water. Beside's, with Torao with me, nothing bad can happen!

"Yep!" I decided. 

"You sure? You don't have to." 

"I want to," I insisted, grabbing Law's hand. 

"Okay, we can go back if you get scared," Law informed, leading us closer to the water.

"I know," The first wave came splashing up, moving fast. Faster than you'd think waves would move. My feet started to sink into the sand. I held my breath, grabbing onto Law's arm, clinging to him tightly. Law pulled me closer to him, rubbing circles into the back of my hand with his thumb. 

"Look at your feet," Law said quietly. I did. My toes were covered in sand, the wave was already pulling back toward the ocean, pulling sand back with it, exposing little rocks and pieces of shells. It looked so cool! "Not so bad right?" I nodded. Law took a couple more steps closer to the water, then we were walking beside the waterline, picking up little rocks and broken shells that were tumbled smooth by the water. 

Each time a wave rushed past us Law would stop and let me cling to him as close and as desperately as I needed. As soon as it was gone we'd keep walking. 

We didn't find any shells that weren't broken. Nearly all of them were broken beyond recognition. Law pulled out his phone to check the time. He had done that a couple of times now. 

"We should start heading back." Law decided. 

"But we just got here!" I complained. "And we haven't found a whole shell yet,"

"We can come back later, or you can stay if you want but I need to work."

"Okay!" Law turned and we walked back towards his car, walking where our feet left prints in the sand. I looked up at the road and didn't even see Torao's car, we walked so far!

"Hey, Torao!" I exclaimed an idea suddenly coming to my mind. "You should come with me it'd be super fun!" 

"Wha-" Law started to say but stopped. "Luffy-ya I can't just leave-"

"No. Not like that! Just to explore, go somewhere you've never been before and we can have an adventure! Then you could meet all my friends. It'd be fun! And you could stay as long as you wanted" I explained. 

"That does sound nice, like a vacation," Law stated. Law wasn't the kind of person to just leave. He had his friends here, he had something stable here. I could see that Law wouldn't want to just leave. So I won't ask him to.

We got back to Law's car and went home, once we got there Law only changed and left again. And I was left alone with not much to do. It's times like this I was excited to get back with my friends. I missed them, how long had it been? Two or three weeks? I couldn't stay still anymore! I pushed the coffee table out of the way, without it Torao's living felt way bigger. I started to move to only the rhythms my mind could create, at first I was following the steps Robin had made us practice to no end in Dressrosa, then it morphed into something different, something new.

The next few days went by so quickly. Torao and I went out to a couple of different places, just us and with his friends too. They were sad I was leaving and made me promise to hang out when I came back. It was the night before I was supposed to leave, Law had to work so he'd leave before I did but I'd be gone when came back. I wanted to go out tonight too but Law didn't and I'd rather hang out with him than go out somewhere. We sat on the couch in fluffy pajamas with the AC up high so we could cuddle under a blanket without getting heatstroke, continuing our movie marathon from what felt like forever ago. 

There were so many movies Law hadn't seen, I couldn't let him live like that! Our movie choices ranged from Disney movies I had watched as a kid with Sabo and Ace to Avengers movies I had seen with Usopp. 

Law sighed. "I'm going to miss you," The words tumbled from his mouth like he hadn't meant to say them at all. 

"I won't be away too long!" I assured him. Law stiffened, momentarily become a very uncomfortable pillow. 

"I know," he kissed my temple. 

"I'll miss you too," I promised, shifting and leaning back against him while Robots played in the background.   
  


"You better," Law smiled at the end of his statement, I heard it more than saw it.

"Oh! This is the best part!" I exclaimed. 

"That's the third time you've said that." Law pointed out. 

"It was true each time." I proudly declared. Law didn't respond, well not with a response that I noticed anyway. We fell silent, watching the kids' movie with our undivided attention again. We ended up pausing that movie a lot for reasons varying from bathroom breaks to snack refills accompanied by Law noting it wasn't healthy to eat past 7 or something like that. That's crazy, it's always good for you to eat. 

"I'm going to bed," Torao decided once the movie was finally over. I frowned.

"Awe, but it's so early!" I protested as Law got up off the couch. 

"Actually, it's midnight and I have to work, and you have a flight to catch," Law informed me, leaning to kiss my forehead. "Which means you should go to bed soon too."

"Midnight is still early," I stated in a lame attempt to get him to stay. 

"Hardly, besides it's your last night here for a while, don't you want to join me?" Law asked as he headed towards the bedroom. It took a while before I realized what he was planning. I followed him to bed.

I woke up before Law. My stomach growled but Law was so warm and comfy. And food sounded so good. Why were decisions so hard to make? I mean, Torao will still be here, but food will also still be there too. Damn! Why was this so hard? Maybe if I just get up and get pop tarts really quick and come back? Torao won't even notice, then!

I started to inch away from Law, but his arm tightened around me. No wonder Torao was always tired, how could he really be asleep when little things woke him up?

"Too early to move," Law mumbled in a sleepy tone. 

"Food," I hummed in protest. 

"Five minutes," Law muttered back, running his cool hand down my back. That felt good. My stomach growled I can't wait five minutes. I moved to get up. 

"Hang on," Law stopped me. 

"Torao! I'm hungry." I insisted. 

"I know, and I want to make you breakfast," Law mumbled. 

"Then get up or my stomach will eat me from the inside out." I insisted. Law let out a long sigh. 

"You're lucky I'm in love with you." Law ran a hand through my somewhat tangled hair and kissed me. I climbed off of Law and out of bed. Law did too. I rushed out into the kitchen only to wait for Law. Law came out moments later, wearing pajama bottoms. "Luffy put some clothes on!" Law shouted as soon as he had laid eyes on me. Laws face was red. Why? It's not like he hadn't seen me naked before. 

"Okay!" I decided to listen, going back to Law's bedroom. I pulled on the same sweater I did last time and clean underwear. Returned to impatiently watch Law cook, he had eggs in one pan and bacon in the other. 

I hugged Law from the side, giving him no choice but to cook with an arm around me. I watched as Law broke apart half-cooked egg and add cheese and salt and pepper to it. 

"Sanji does the same thing," I stated. 

"Sanji?" Law asked. 

"Yup, he's the awesome cook I told you about!" Law nodded. He got a plate from the cupboard, for him it didn't take much movement. He's tall. Law lifted the pan and scraped the eggs onto the plate before adding more transparent yellow goo from a bowl. What was that? Eggs? Law turned his attention to the bacon, he flipped the pieces and moved them around before repeating the scrambled egg process. My stomach growled. I bit my lip and tried to be patient.

Law set the cooked bacon on the same plate as the eggs. 

"Sausage too?" Law asked. 

"Yes!" I answered. Law tapped on the back of my hand. Oh! He needed to go to the fridge! I let go of him. After that, it wasn't long before breakfast was ready. Law separated everything he had made onto two plates. He set the plates on a small table at the end of the kitchen just before it met the living room.

"Torao do you _have_ to go?" I asked, not wanting him to leave for work. Law was getting ready.

Well, he had been now he was looking for his car keys. 

"Yes," he replied dully. 

"But I'm leaving in a few hours," I protested, we could still do something, like a walk on the beach! That was fun!

Law sighed. "I know," Law patted down his own pockets for the fifth time. The keys were on the coffee table. I only noticed because I kicked them when I put my feet up. But I wasn't gunna point that out to Law. Not yet anyway. Law paced into the kitchen again. 

"It'll be forever before I see you again!" I reminded Law. 

"Not forever," Law corrected, pacing back into the living room. Law sighed once more and leaned on the back of the couch. I leaned my head back to look at him. 

"Have you seen them?" Law asked, kissing my forehead. 

I glanced at the keys on the table. "No..." Law followed my gaze and noticed the keys sitting not so innocently on the table.

"You little shit," Law said, poking my side. Law went around the couch and grabbed his keys. Our lips briefly met, Law met my eyes. His lips moved like he may say something. Apparently, Law changed his mind and kissed me again. I gripped his shirt and pulled him closer to me, biting his lower lip as I did. Law slipped one hand underneath the sweater I wore while the other supported his weight on the other side of me. 

"I have to go," Law said breaking our kiss, he glanced back down at my lips. 

"I know," I replied, only to kiss Law again. I wrapped my arms around his neck. Law groaned the hum of his lips was intoxicating. 

"Mugiwara," Law said lowly, breaking our kiss again. I was panting. 

"Hm?" I hummed, looking into Law's eyes

"I really do need to get going." Law sighed. 

"One more?" I asked. 

"One more," he agreed, kissing me again, keeping it short. 

"No, a real kiss," I insisted. 

"Okay, okay," Our lips met again, Law brushed his hand against my cheek. I broke the kiss and kissed along his jaw, moving to his neck. I bit and sucked at his skin, trying to leave a mark. 

"You're going to leave a mark," Law said, pointing out the obvious. 

"Mhm," I hummed against Torao's skin. 

"Don't..." I pulled away, his skin was only red...

"Why not?" I asked. 

"It's a bruise," Law stated flatly. "And it looks unprofessional, I can't have people seeing something like that at work."

"But I'm just kissing your neck," 

"Luffy..." 

"But what if someone else decided they like you?" I insisted, leaning forward and gently pressing my lips to his neck. "Torao..." Law sighed in defeat. 

"As long as I can cover it up..." Law gave in. I smiled and pressed my lips to his skin again, kissing and biting. Once I was sure a mark would be left I pulled away. Law kissed me.

"I love you," he said quietly. 

"I love you more," I replied. Law smiled and kissed me again. He stood and started heading for the door. I followed, hoping to get more kisses from him. 

"I almost forgot," Law turned to me a dug into his coat pocket, pulling out a key. "For whenever you decided to come back,"

"Thanks!" I smiled at Law and kissed him, again, so much for 'last one.' 

"You'll call when you can, right?" Law asked, I nodded and hugged Law, he return the hug. 

"See ya, Torao," I hummed. 

"See you," Law replied, kissing the top of my head. We parted and the door closed shut and I was alone again.

I got to the airport a little later than I intended. It was busy with lots of different people a lot of them were dressed up, probably business people. I went through the usual, bag, wallet check, and so on.

I put my bag on the conveyer belt which somehow leads to it being put on the plane. It wasn't too long before they'd call my flight, now all I had to do was wait.

"You're Monkey D. Luffy, right?" A woman asked I looked to my left side, no one was there, I looked to my right. A woman who was taller than me stood next to me she was looking up at the board which listed the upcoming flights. 

"Yeah, how'd you know?" I replied. 

"Your group is really popular," She answered, flipping her long green hair over her shoulder. 

"Really?" I asked. The woman giggled. 

"Where's the rest of your group? Don't you usually stick together?" The woman asked, crossing her arms over her chest, making the print read ADD instead of HAPPY. 

"I'm meeting them in Saobody," I told her. 

"That's a long flight," the woman noted I shrugged. 

"Monet!" A little girl shouted, running up to the woman next to me, behind her a man wearing sunglasses with what looked like a plastic spoon stuck to the side of his face was coming towards us. I stuck my hands in the pocket of Laws hoodie which I had taken to wearing a lot lately. It was pretty hot to be wearing a sweater but the airport was nice and cool. I looked back up at the screen while the three talked amongst themselves. 

"Hey, mister you're that cool dancing guy from the internet right?" The little girl asked. 

"I guess so," I responded. 

"You're cool so you should come and get ice cream with us!" The offer was tempting. But my flight was leaving soon. 

"Monet said it's in the airport so you won't miss your flight!" The girl insisted. 

"Sugar," the man said sternly. 

"It's fine, I'd like to go if that's alright," I said. What could go wrong with ice cream? I walked with these strangers to a little shop inside the airport selling a variety of desserts including crepes, churros, and ice cream. We ordered and went to a small table that seated four. Next to the seating area was a large fish tank equipped with color-changing LED lights.

"Luffy look!" The little girl, whose name I learned was Sugar, grabbed my hand and pulled me to the fish tanks. 

"Look, there's Nemo!" The girl pointed out. 

"And Dory," I added pointing to the yellow and bluefish. Sugar spent a good ten minutes pointing out fish to me. 

"Oh, look. Monet brought back the ice cream." Sugar ran back to their shared table. I followed. I didn't remember much after that. Only eating ice cream.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edited Aug. 24, 2019


	19. Conditions

_**♡Law♡** _

I stared down at my phone, the only thing I got was a blank lock screen. Luffy's plane should have landed well over an hour ago. So he should have called by now right? I ran a hand through my hair if Luffy hadn't gotten there surely one of Luffy's friends would have called by now...

I sighed and rubbed my forehead. What was I supposed to do? Nami called me earlier, I should be able to get the number from that. So I started scrolling through the list of phone calls, there were more than I anticipated. My friends called me for help far too often.

My phone rang, it was an unknown number, I answered it. 

"Hi Law," Nami greeted. "Did Luffy miss his flight?" Okay, now it's reasonable to be worried. 

"Not that I know of," I said. 

"Oh great," Nami sighed. "What happened when you dropped him off at the airport?"

"I didn't, I had to work," I explained, my leg started to bounce out of nervousness. Nami sighed again. 

"Is there anyone who Luffy could have gotten into trouble with there?" Nami questioned. I thought about. Luffy hadn't mentioned meeting anyone else in town. 

"I don't think so," I answered honestly. Nami sounded more annoyed than worried. That must mean Luffy not being where he's supposed to be was a common occurrence. Maybe I have no reason to be concerned then. Again it began to bother me that I knew so little about Luffy. How much could I really trust him?

That's a ridiculous thought. Luffy couldn't lie for shit. The loud frantic knocking at my door made me jump. I stared at it for a moment, who would be knocking on my door like that? I immediately thought of Luffy. Was someone trying to hurt him and he came back here? 

"Law!" Fai shouted, banging on the door again before I could stand from the couch.

"What's that?" Nami demanded. She was on edge now too.

"Just my cousin. I'll call you back," I muttered getting up to answer the door while hanging up. 

"Law!" She yelled again just as I answered it. 

"What's wrong? Are you okay?" I asked her. 

"It's Luffy, Doffy has him," Fai said frantically. My chest tightened, it was hard to breathe. 

"What?" I asked a rock settled in my stomach. Surely I had heard her wrong. 

"Doflamingo has Luffy," Fai repeated, her intense tone made me feel claustrophobic. "I don't know how but he has him," Fai explained. The room was starting to spin, was the room swaying or was that me? 

"Law?" Fai asked hesitantly. I was pretty sure I was having a panic attack. Fai had her arm around me, my feet were moving, she sat me down on the couch. I still couldn't breathe. Doflamingo's threat echoed in the back of my mind, I should have known. At least the room stopped spinning. 

"Doflamingo warned me he'd do something..." I muttered once I had calmed down. I still felt sick.

"What?" Fai asked. 

"When he came here, he wanted me to go to Dressrosa, he said if I didn't go he'd make me," I explained. "I should have gone with Luffy, I should-"

"Law, you couldn't have known," Fai said. 

"I should have," I corrected her. "I've dealt with him my entire life. _I should have_ _known_." 

"Well, what are we going to do?" Fai asked. I thought about it. Getting the police involved was a definite no, they wouldn't believe a word I said anyway. I really didn't see much of an option here. All that mattered was making sure Luffy was okay. 

"Give him what he wants." I sighed. 

"Law-" Fai started to say but changed her mind. 

"Dressrosa's not too far from here, I could drive.." I mumbled to myself. 

"Dressrosa is almost a 7-hour drive," Fai pointed out. I pulled my phone out, I had to get time off from the hospital, and I told Nami I'd call her. I called the hospital first. Kureha was not so willing to let me leave for a week, but with some bargaining, I managed to get the time off. 

Then I called Nami, I wasn't sure what I'd tell her. My crazy uncle kidnapped Luffy? Knowing Luffy's friends just from how he talked about them, they'd be there in no time. I couldn't have that, they'd only complicate things. I went with vague. As worried as it might make Nami, she'll have to trust me. 

"I know where Luffy is," I said as soon as she answered. 

"Wh-"

"I can't explain it," I paused. "You'll have to trust me."

"Why should I?" Nami snapped.

"I couldn't fathom a plausible reason," I admitted.

"What kind of answer is that? Where's Luffy?" 

"I'll take care of it, I'll get back to you within a week."

"I don't have-" I hung up before she could finish. She'll be calling back.

"Law?" Fai questioned, her voice was hesitant. 

"Hm?" I hummed. 

"I'm going with you," she decided. 

"Well, I can't exactly tell you 'no,'" I stood and went into my bedroom, packing clothes for a couple days into a backpack along with other little things that I'd need. When I was finished Fai was already waiting out by my car. I tossed my bag into the backseat then Fai and I got into my car and headed for Dressrosa, a place I thought I never had to go to again. I wasn't eager to be going to that hell hole.

We arrived early the next morning, it was about 5 am, the sun was just starting to rise, making the sky a dark purple rather than a deep blue. Fai was asleep in the passenger seat, my eyelids felt heavy, and my shoulders ached, as did my back. But we were here, I stared up at the menacingly large house. 

One side backed up to the sidewalk, it was the backside, where Fai and I were now. around the corner was the entrance, the building was in a square shape with the center being an open garden with a pool. One half of the building was for business purposes while Doflamingo and his "family" lived on the other half.

Doflamingo had always been wealthy and powerful, but he's built up a political reputation over the years, so I was surprised when there weren't any kind of security guards around the building, especially considering the place had been attacked a few weeks ago.

"Fai," I said, shaking her shoulder. 

"Huh?" She grumbled, rubbing her eyes. 

"We're here." I unbuckled and got out of the car. "You're sure he's here?" I asked. Fai nodded. 

"I saw Monet and Vergo bring him in yesterday," Fai explained.

"You drove all the way to Flevance just to tell me?" I asked Fai shook her head. "I took the train, it's faster." I nodded. 

"Why not call?" 

"I wanted to be sure none of them knew I knew." 

"Well, guess we should go in..." I stated after some silence. Fai nodded, I locked up my car and we headed for the main doors.

I prepared myself to deal with Doflamingo, I had done it once before, though my methods weren't perfect they were definitely effective. I'd have to come up with something better, running away wasn't going to do any good now.

Even being near this place was making me nervous, I always have to be aware of what I do and say here. Fai and I rounded the corner, there was a large, gated driveway with a big water fountain in the center. The gates were wide open and there were a couple of cars parked near the building.

"Doflamingo still thinks you're mad at me," Fai warned.

"I am, but there are more important things to worry about than our issues at the moment," I replied. "Despite that, I still trust you more than anyone else here." Fai was silent for several steps.

"Fine, I'll take that," She said quietly. Another pause. "I'm going, Doffy can't know that we're on speaking terms," I nodded, that we agreed on. Fai walked ahead of me and I went to meet Doflamingo. 

"Ah, I told you, you'd end up here." Doflamingo laughed. Of course, that's the first thing he says to me.

"Where is he?" I asked calmly, we were in the meeting room, at the far end of the building, with one long oval table, Doflamingo was as the head of the table, his feet propped up on the surface.

The room had two doors, one on each half of the building. 

"Have a seat Law, we'll discuss the arrangments," Doflamingo said lightly, with some sort of mix between a smirk and a smile on his lips. I sat down at, as far as I could be without being at the other end. I would never give him that satisfaction.

"There are no arrangements. I'm here to get Luffy and leave." I said I knew that wasn't how things were going to work. If I started big it'd be easier on me. Maybe. Doflamingo chuckled.

"You and I both know that's not how this is going to work. Kaido is having some difficulty in coming to an agreement with me," Doflamingo said. 

"I don't care," I bit, I didn't want to hear him talk in circles. or at all for that matter. 

"I need you to help me persuade him" Doflamingo ignored my previous comment. "If you don't, well, you know what I have," Doflamingo smirked. "I guess _who_ I have is more important."

"What's to stop me from just leaving with him?" I needed some idea of what to expect in terms of freedoms. 

"Nothing," Doflamingo said. "Except for.... oh right, you won't be seeing him. You won't even be in the same room as him until your job is finished," he paused "to eliminate distractions." 

I had to remind myself that he was the one with the upper hand here if I acted like it didn't bother me as much as he thinks it does then he'd doubt himself. I took a moment to process all of this. I could do whatever I wanted but Luffy couldn't.

Luffy was the one trapped here, not me. If I didn't care about Luffy, if I didn't love him I wouldn't have this problem. What could I do to make Doflamingo think I didn't care? I cursed my clumsiness and carelessness. If I had never let Doflamingo see Luffy's face... no, he already knew Luffy's face, if I had never let him known who I was with. Yeah, that made more sense. Damn it.   
  


"This is bullshit, I'll just go find him myself," I started to get up from my chair. 

"I'll have him killed the moment you walk out that door, Law." I froze. I felt a tingling sensation from my mark. My body moved before I could process it. Before I knew it, Doflamingo's collar was in my fist and my face was in his. 

"You won't get anywhere fucking near him," I growled with my jaw clenched. Stupid, _stupid!_ I was supposed to look like I didn't care. How the fuck was that not caring? Doflamingo smiled.

"For a moment you had me thinking you didn't really care," _God damn it!_ Doflamingo's smile grew larger. "Afraid you're the one that won't be going anywhere near Strawhat." Doflamingo shoved me away from him. 

_Get your shit together_ , I told myself.

"Hm, I think selling him might be better, eh Law?" I let the remark go, words were nothing if they didn't provoke a reaction. He wouldn't get any more out of me. "He'd make good money, any perv would want an internet sensation like him." 

"Yeah, _you would_ know," I scoffed.   
  


"Mm, for now, you can stay in your old room," Doflamingo took his feet off the table. I stood and left.

Fai wasn't anywhere to be seen, fine by me. So I went to my old bedroom, the thought of being in this place left a bile taste in my mouth. The sooner I leave the better.


	20. Torao

**_♤Luffy♡_ **

I woke up slumped over in a chair, not exactly a comfortable position, but whatever. The room I was in was dimly lit, only by a lightbulb hanging from a wire. In front of me was a table with a paper folded into a triangle so it was standing. The room was gray, the walls were dirty, the air was dry, and the room smelt and tasted like dust. 

I stood up and stretched, popping the bones of my spine as I did so. 

My back ached. I went to the only door in the room, it like the walls, was dirty. And there was no handle. The only thing that indicated it was a door was the door frame around it. Otherwise, it was just another part of the windowless walls, that and the scrape marks on the cement floor made only by an opening door. 

I didn't want to sit in the chair, I was thirsty and hungry. I wanted out. I tried to push the door open, it didn't move. 

"Damn, where am I anyway?" I muttered, scratching the back of my neck. I sighed and went back to the table and picked up the paper. Hey, there was nothing else for me to do.   
It had impressions of writing on the plain side of the paper. 

I unfolded it, there was a single sentence scribbled out in messy blue ink. 

_Thank Trafalgar_ _for_ _this._

What did Torao have to do with this? That doesn't make any sense, I decided. Something clicked. I looked around the room, nothing out of the ordinary. The door opened along with the sound of metal scraping stone. It wasn't a nice sound. Once the ear-bleeding noise was gone I looked over at the door. A kid with blond hair and a white hat came in, he wore a creepy smile. For a moment, the only sound was his heels tapping on the floor. I didn't care who he was or what he wanted, I was hungry and now the door was open, so I used it. 

I don't think he expected that. I stepped into a long hallway with windows lining one side. I've been here before, sure not in this building but I recognized the town square we had danced in just before Zoro and I were arrested. 

What was the name of this place? Roba? Dress? Something... well it didn't matter anyway. 

"Hey!" The kid was yelling. Ah, what should I do? Leave and find food or find food and leave?  
I looked down at the pavement, I was a couple of stories above ground. There was a sidewalk directly below, and a familiar car parked there too! 

I hooded my eyes and looked down at it. It's was dark out and hard to see with all the lights on. Two people were getting out. 

Torao! He was here! I smacked the glass, trying to get his attention but he was on the ground and I wasn't. Maybe I can break the glass? I looked around for something to use, nothing. Okay, so I'll use myself. I stepped back and volleyed myself through the window.  
It didn't work. The glass didn't even crack.

"What is this even made of?" Well fuck, what was I supposed to do now?

Law was starting to go down the sidewalk along with a girl. That must be the one that was at his house that one time. I turned to follow them but the kid from before was right there. He looked angry. I moved to step around him but he blocked me. 

"Get outta my way," I said, pushing the kid towards the window and walking past him, following Law. He seemed to have other ideas in mind. The next thing I knew, a sharp heal was jabbed into my back and I was on the ground. 

Okay, you asked for this. I rolled over and got myself off the ground. The kid attacked again, trying to kick me. It wasn't too hard to block it. Sanji could do better than that just trying to keep me from food. I gave the kid a good uppercut, I hit the mark. Not wanting to bother with him anymore, I continued to walk on, if I can follow Law to the entrance of this place I can find a way to him, or at least to food. And where there's food, there's also drink. 

The only things that mattered right now. Food and Torao. This guy didn't seem to thinks so. He came at me again. All I want to do is get food you lousy ass! He kicked me onto the ground again.

A blunt pain traveled up my back. 

"I'm busy!" I snapped, getting up and dealing him a solid punch. The blond recovered quickly, moving as Sanji does in a fight. 

Two can play at that. I dropped onto my hands and swung my legs underneath him. The stranger fell to the ground with a hard _thunk._ I pulled my feet underneath me and stood to my full height.  
I growled involuntarily as the guy stood back up. He wiped the blood from his lip with the back of his hand. 

"Dellinger!" A woman shouted. The blond turned in annoyance. "Doffy told us not to hurt him!"

"What am I supposed to do then? Let him leave?" Dellinger asked. 

"Luffy, right? The woman asked, Ignoring Dellinger

"Yup," I said. 

"I'm Violet. I'm guessing you saw Law coming up, right?" I nodded. 

"I suppose you want to see him?" I nodded again. 

"Thought so, c'mon I can't take you to him but I can take where he'll be," Violet said.   
I looked over at Dillinger, he was baffled by her. Violet wore a friendly smile. I could trust her, so I went with her. My stomach growled. 

"Why don't we go to the kitchens first?" She asked. 

"That sounds great," I agreed. So we went to the first floor, taking an elevator. Maybe afterward I could slip away and find Law! Violet pushed open a door, inside the kitchen there was a lot going on, it reminded me of the Baratie, only there was something missing, I couldn't guess. She went around a counter to talk to a chef. She pointed me out and the guy nodded. 

The guy, in turn, turned to a woman and told her something, to which she nodded and disappeared behind a door. Violet came to sit next to me. 

"Law must really care about you to come here to get you," Violet observed.

"Why do you say that?"

"He doesn't like this place, he hates it actually," Violet informed. 

"How come?" Violet shrugged at my question. 

"He has his reasons," the chef lady came back out and started preparing food. Oh, good I'm starving. 

"Why'd they bring me here?" I asked Violet. She sighed. 

"Doffy wanted Law here." She said plainly.

"I'm bait," I stated. Law's uncle used me to get Law here, that was something. 

"Pretty much," Violet agreed. Someone set a drink in front of her. "Doffy would do just about anything to get what he wants," she paused to take a drink. "It makes him a popular politic,"   
A plate was set in front of me, along with silverware and a glass of water. It smelled great. I wasted no time digging in.

I followed Violet up a set of stairs and through another hall very similar to the last. We stopped at a door, which locked from the outside. 

"This is Law's old room, as soon as he talks to Doffy he'll come up here so you can wait for him," She explained, I nodded. Violet opened the door, exposing a dark room, she flicked the light switch on beside the door. It flickered a couple times before calming down and behaving as light is supposed to. 

The room was plain. A bed, dresser, small bookshelf, desk, nightstand, closed closet, no pictures hung on the wall, no posters. 

It was like a display room at a furniture store. I guess that made sense since no one lived here anymore. It'd be a very boring place to live in. 

"Well, there you go, exactly how Law left it," Violet said. I looked around and observed the room again, nothing was out of place, drawers were closed completely with no bits of clothes sticking out, no wrinkles covered the perfectly made bed, nothing was partially shoved under the bed, the bookshelf had a small, dusty collection with no action figures or little trinkets. No pencils or papers floated homelessly on the desk, everything was plain and lax of human error. 

"Huh," I hummed stepping into the room. 

"Law will come up any minute," Violet informed, shutting the door. There was a small click, the door was locked. I wandered around the room, looking for a sign that someone had actually lived here. It was strange and unsettling that Law used to live like this. Maybe when he moved out he took everything with him. That made much more sense.

The books, Law likes books that would be a place to start. 

That was a fruitless effort. Nothing of interest. The books were as plain as the rest of the room.   
The room held one window, it was long with a dark grey curtain, the dresser was under it. I peeked out, it overlooked a big garden surrounded by the rest of the building, there were bars on it. Strange. 

I went and sat on the bed, there wasn't anything to do so I laid back on Law's old bed and stared at the ceiling. I stared at the patterns in the paint, wishing I was anywhere but in this situation. Well, it'd be fixed soon, Law would know what to do.

It was only an eternity later that the doorknob began to move. I had gotten so bored I was half asleep when that happened. I sat up and watched it, waiting to see if it would be Violet or Law to come through the door. It needs to be Law, I want to see him.   
The door opened and it was him. 

"Torao!" I gasped jumping off the bed and running to him while he dropped a backpack on the floor next to the desk.

I hugged Law, he put one arm around me while he caught the door before it closed. Law reached over and pulled open the desk drawer next to us, pulled out a small easier and pushed it into the gap in the door frame where the door was supposed to close. 

"What's that for?" I questioned, still not letting go of Law. 

"So Violet or anyone else can't lock us in," Law muttered, he let the door close with a light click.   
He guided me away from the door and took my face in his hands. He turned my head, one way, then the other. 

"Are you hurt?" He tilted my chin up, then went to my arm. 

"No," Law inspected my other arm. "Why would I be?" 

"Good," Law said, finally meeting my eyes. 

"You look tired," I told him, there were dark circles under his eyes, and he was more on edge. Like he was in a dangerous place. Law pulled me into a tight hug, wrapping his arms around me. Law pressed his lips to the top of my head. 

"I am," he said quietly. I wrapped my arms around Torao, grasping the back of his shirt. Something was wrong, really wrong.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edited Aug. 24, 2019


	21. Luffy

_**《Zoro》** _

"Damn him, damn him, _damn him!"_ Nami threw her phone on to the mattress, we were gathered in her room again. She was fuming. Fists clenched. We needed to figure out what to do about Luffy, and about the money, we were lacking. 

"Law's still not answering?" Usopp asked though it was obvious seeing as Nami wasn't on the phone with the guy. Nami started pacing. 

"That bastard, I'll kill him!" Nami growled. "I don't give a damn if he's Luffy's mark." 

"Law knows where Luffy is?" Sanji asked, rolling his unlit cigarette between his fingers. 

"That's what he said," Nami stopped pacing for a moment to glare at her phone. "And to _trust_ him." Nami rolled her eyes. 

"I don't give a damn if Luffy trusts him, I don't," Usopp muttered. I had to agree. Though I never met the guy, Law leaving us in the dark was shady. "Who knows, Law could be the one keeping Luffy from us."

"Luffy better be back by the end of the week or we'll have to go back to staying in _motels,"_ Nami disregarded Usopp's comment. 

"That's what you're worried about?" Usopp cringed. "Luffy could be in danger!" 

"Luffy can weasel out of anything, I'm not worried about him," I admitted. "But Usopp has a point if Law's some kind of creep and Luffy trusts him..." 

"Guys, Law's a doctor, remember? He was _my_ surgeon after the wreck," Sanji reminded them. I had forgotten about that. I think we all did. Too caught up in Luffy's disappearance. 

"Sanji's right." Nami sighed, she sat down at the edge of the bed, next to Robin. "Luffy's hat is our brand! That's why we're not making money," Nami grumbled. "People aren't recognizing us."

"Got a point there," I muttered.

"We could do another flashmob," Brook offered.

"Maybe," Nami hummed. "We don't have time to put together more choreography. Or practice it."

"I can make adjustments to the choreo for Dressrosa," Robin said. Nami nodded.

"Luffy-bro should be here, it's not right without him," Franky said. I nodded in agreement. Everyone else agreed to that too.

There was a knock at the door. We all went quiet, waiting for the call of housekeeping. There wasn't any. Guess I'd be the one to get the door. I stepped between Nami and Usopp as I made my way to the door.

"Jimbei?" I asked. I looked up and down the hall. There was no one there. I let him.

"Zoro, I thought you seemed familiar, but I didn't think you worked for the government," Jimbei said. I frowned. That was a little blunter than I was used to given our surroundings.

"You shouldn't have come here..." I muttered and glanced at the others in the room. All of them knew what I was. But I didn't want them involved. I've always done my best to leave them out of my work.

"I know you're supposed to take me back to headquarters, that's why I came, to make it easy on you." I was more than just a little speechless.

"How-"

"I work for them," Jimbei said before I could finish speaking. "At least I did. An old friend let me know what was going on." 

"Zoro, who is this guy?" Nami asked.

"Jimbei, he was locked up with me and Luf." I could feel the glances Nami and Usopp exchanged.

"Go ahead, call in and tell 'em you found me," Jimbei insisted.

"You sure?" Jimbei nodded.

"C 'mon." I nodded to the door. 

"Zoro, we can't afford for you to be gone too," Nami said as I was leaving. 

"I know." I led Jimbei out of Nami's room, across the hall, and into mine. I sought out my phone. I left it in a drawer. "What do you mean when you say you worked for the government" I closed the door behind me. Jimbei didn't answer right away.

"I used to be a black market dealer," he admitted, sitting on the edge of one of the beds. "I managed a section of human trafficking." I leaned against the wall and crossed my arms. Selling and trading human beings was not easily redeemable. "Once the government discovered what I was doing, they hired me to be a spy. I got involved in other things, drugs, weapons. One day some traffickers came in. There were all from the World Government, with people meant for the nobles. Jimbei watched me. It wasn't hard, to sum up, that he must have been helping people escape.

"Still, I stuck my nose in it, helped a lot of people get out," Jimbei finished.

"That's how you got into Impel Down?" I asked. Jimbei nodded.

"I've got a friend still working for 'em, he gave me a warning that Akainu was looking for me." I nodded.

"You're sure?"

"Yeah." I dialed the number and called. 

"Zoro," Akianu said. 

"I've got Jimbei." Jimbei was silent as I spoke. 

"Do you have eyes on him or do you _have_ him." 

"You heard me," I said. 

"I'll have transportation waiting," Akainu explained. 

"Have someone to escort him too, I can't leave." I paused. "Unless you want to pay be a couple thousand right now." Sure, we didn't _need_ that much. But it'd make Nami happy. 

"Very well, Aokiji will be waiting for you at the airport." Akainu relented. Greedy bastard. 

"When?" 

"An hour." 

"Got it." I hung up the phone and looked up at the ceiling, mulling over what I had just done. 

"We're going to meet Aokiji at the airport," I told Jimbei. Jimbei chuckled. I threw him a questioning glance. 

"It will be good to see Kuzan again," Jimbei said. 

"He's the old friend you mentioned," I observed. Jimbei only nodded. 

"You ready? Aokiji will be there in an hour."

"Yeah." 

After I let everyone know I was heading out, Jimbei and I left the hotel. We were silent for the entire drive. I found a place to park. Something about this felt wrong, unsettling. Something. 

"You know they're probably going to kill you, right?" I stated. 

"Don't worry about that, Roronoa," Jimbei assured. 

"Alright then," I muttered, that didn't put the uneasy feeling in my gut to rest. I escorted Jimbei inside and found Aokiji. After that, the matter was out of my hands. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edited Aug. 25, 2019


	22. Fate

Thatch let out a long, drawn-out sigh. He was with Hawkins again, the two of them plus Killer were waiting outside a small cafe in Dressrosa to meet Violet. 

She had an update on Doflamingo-at least that's what Hawkins had told him and Killer- and she was late. Thatch wasn't entirely sure he could trust her. She was part of Doflamingo's family after all. But she had a reason for getting rid of him. All of them did. Violet's niece had been the sole heir to the wealth Doflamingo sat on. Killer's best friend, and business partner, was killed by the infamous Joker, who turned out to be Doflamingo. 

Thatch only knew that part because of Killer. And Thatch, well that was easy. Joker set a bounty on Ace's head. Ace was young when he died. And Everything changed so fast after he died. It was a snowball effect that left Thatch and Marco an absolute trainwreck. 

"There's Violet," Killer said. Thatch's eyes darted around the area until he saw Violet coming down the sidewalk. 

"Hello, boys." Violet greeted, sitting at the outdoor cafe table. 

"You said you had an update?" Hawkins asked. 

"'Why hello Violet, it's nice to see you again.' You too, how have you all been?" Violet said in a way of correcting Hawkins abruptness. Thatch coughed to cover up the laughter he was holding back. Violet sat down between Thatch and Killer and across from Hawkins. 

"Doflamingo's Nephew is dating Monkey D. Luffy," Violet explained.

"Luffy..." Killer muttered. Thatch frowned. 

"You know him?" Thatch asked. What the hell Luffy have to do with a drug dealer?

Killer nodded. "He was Kid's mark." Thatch leaned back in his seat. Taking in that information. 

Luffy had scars. Thatch had seen them in Impel Down. Two marks killed by the same guy, and another being the nephew of that guy. That had to be some sick twist of fate. 

Just how much did Luffy know? 

Did he know who Teach had worked for? Who was behind Kid's death? Did he know Law's uncle was part of a black market network that traded people like they were nothing more than products of consumption? 

There were too many questions going through Thatch's mind. Luffy had a life that didn't involve Thatch. So whatever Luffy did or didn't know wasn't his business. Still, Thatch felt like he owed it to Ace to keep an eye on Luffy. At least check up on him every once and a while. 

"Very well, this makes more sense." Hawkins nodded and pulled out his cards and shuffled them. 

"That's not all, Strawhat and Doffy met about a week ago." Hawkins looked up at her and pulled a card from the top, he laid it down on the table. A straw hat, which usually represented a farmer of sorts, according to Hawkins, but not in this case.

"I asked you to inform me a soon as possible," Hawkins stated. 

"Don't give me that crap, asshole. I just found out this morning, and there's more," Violet said. 

"What is it?"

"Doflamingo had Luffy kidnapped from the airport in Flevance this morning as well, he's at Doffy's house right now." Hawkins turned another card over. King of swords, he set that on the table too. 

"Everything will be centered around those two, the nephew and Strawhat," Hawkins explained to them, something he usually doesn't do. "Watch closely."

He pulled out another card, a pink bird. It went onto the table too. Another card, the double-edged sword. A fire, next to the blade. A burning tower, on the other side of the strawhat.   
Hawkins frowned. 

"It seems Thatch's hunger for revenge along with Strawhats reaction to any encounter with Thatch will heavily affect the outcome of this conflict." 

"What's that supposed to mean?" Killer asked with a scoff. He was skeptical of Hawkins cards. 

"The tower of destruction could go many ways. It's unpredictable, a catalyst so to speak." Hawkins said, pulling out yet another card. 

Five of Swords, next to the bird. Ten of swords above the bird. And three of swords under to the king of swords. Hawkins was silent. 

"What do they mean?" Violet asked hesitantly. Hawkins seemed to be in the mood to explain his 'fate' shit. 

"Pain and destruction, a lot of it. Especially for Strawhat and the nephew." Another card, Ace of Swords, next to the tower. 

"A cross shape? It wasn't like that last time." Thatch said. 

"No, it's a crossroad. The bottom would be longer if it were a cross." Hawkins sighed, leaning on the armrest of his chair. 

"One more." 

Hawkins pulled out a card and laid it on top of the straw hat. A clock that went up to 14.   
"All of this will happen within a fortnight." Hawkins examined them carefully. 

"That's some heavy shit," Killer muttered. He wasn't wrong. 

"You'll have your opportunity for revenge by the end of the month," Hawkins told Thatch. Hawkins picked the cards up and returned them to his deck. 

"What's the situation with Strawhat?" Hawkins asked. He shuffled the well-used cards. ALmost making a show out of it as he let the cards flutter from one hand to the next. 

"Doffy is going to keep him locked up until Law can close a deal with Kaido." 

"What!?" Thatch and Killer asked. Killer sat up in his seat and bumped the table. 

"Getting involved with Kaido isn't something to fuck around with," Killer grumbled.

"This is Doffy we're talking about here," Violet stated. "He's as ruthless as Kaido." 

Hawkins nodded silently in agreement. 

"Law's only there for Luffy," Violet added. "I'm sure Doffy will get what he wants out of Law. He usually does. Especially if Doffy is successful in keeping those two apart."

"Keeping them apart?" Hawkins echoed.

"Yeah," Violet sighed. "Doffy's going to keep Luffy alone and locked up." 

One thing Thatch didn't forget was how much Luffy hated being alone as a kid. Thatch doubted much had changed since then. He kept that thought quiet. 

"Make sure that Strawhat and the nephew are together as much as possible without Doflamigo getting suspicious," Hawkins said. "It's the only way this will work, I'm sure. 

"That sounds like a self-fulfilling prophecy, if I ever heard one," Killer muttered. 

"I'll try," Violet promised, pressing her lips together in a flat line. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edited Aug. 25th, 2019


	23. Joker

**_♡Law♡  
_ **

I had laid out the situation to Luffy as plainly as I could. I told him about Sugar, and how Doflamingo had threatened him. How Doflamingo was going to make sure we were separated. Once I was finished Luffy sat at the edge of my old bed and picked at the loose threads of the blanket, I leaned against the dresser, waiting to hear what he had to say.

I laid everything out to Luffy. It was only right considering how involved Doflamingo made him. I told Luffy why Doflamingo dragged him here and that Doflamigo was, in fact, _Joker._ I explained how I had removed myself from this life a long time ago and that I had no desire to be here. 

And that I wanted him nowhere near it either, but Doflamingo planned on having Luffy locked away and wanted to keep me from seeing him. Luffy frowned at that. He sat on my old bed with his legs crossed.

"That Mingo bastard can't do shit to keep me here," Luffy said. He crossed his arms. "Let's just leave right now! I was supposed to meet my friends already. Nami's going to be mad." 

"Nami-ya is already mad at me," I told him. "But that's not a bad idea, let's get out of here." 

Luffy smiled. "Sweet! Luffy jumped to his feet. 

"Hang on, I need to find Fai-ya and Doflamingo will need to be distracted while _you_ get out of here. " 

"Oh, so what are you gunna do?" 

"Distract Doflamingo," I dig my keys from my pocket and passed them to Luffy. 

"My car is on the left of the building when you leave, down the road a bit," I explained. Luffy nodded and took my keys.

"I'll be just a few minutes behind you, but if anything happens, take my car and go, I'll catch the train back to Flevance if I need to. Luffy frowned at that. 

"I'm not leaving you here."

I shook my head at him. "I'm not the one being held hostage, it's you." 

"Oh," Luffy looked down at the carpet. The doorknob clicked, I glared at it waiting for the newcomer to invade what little space I was allowed. Buffalo came in. 

"Law," he said, "Doffy wants to see you right now." 

"He can wait," I said, dully, gazing over at Buffalo."You should learn to knock, I was having a conversation with my mark." 

"Who's not supposed to be here," Buffalo added.

"I don't see a sign," I sighed. Buffalo rolled his eyes. "Is that all?"

Buffalo didn't reply immediately. "Doffy wants you in the basement." 

  
"Alright," I said. "Now get out." Buffalo stood in the doorway, silent for a moment or two before doing as I said. Luffy took two quick steps toward me. 

"Torao?" Luffy's voice was quiet like he was being careful. Luffy took my hands in his and folded his fingers between mine. 

"Hm?" I asked. Luffy watched his feet as he spoke. 

"You changed," Luffy mumbled, he stepped a little closer. 

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"When that guy came, it was like you were someone else..." Luffy said. "It scared me." I pulled my hands from Luffy's only to wrap my arms around him in a hug. Holding him close. Luffy rested his head on my shoulder. 

"I'm sorry," I said and kissed the top of his head. "I don't trust anyone here, there cruel and disgusting people, all of them. 

"Oh," Luffy muttered. He looked up at me and stood on my toes to be just tall enough to kiss me. Luffy wrapped his arms around my neck and I bit his lip. Luffy opened up his mouth for me. Luffy hummed against my lips. I loved when he did that. I pulled away and smiled down at him. 

"Hey," I said quietly, Luffy looked up at me, still with his arms around my neck, resting on my shoulders. "I love you." 

Luffy grinned. "I love you too," he muttered. I kissed him again, this one just a peck on the lips. 

"Let's get out of here." Luffy nodded and we went for the elevator. We stopped at the first floor first, of course. The floor was empty as far as I could see. Doflamingo stood about halfway down the hall, talking with Vergo near an open door. I walked towards them. 

As I got closer, I noticed the smell. One of human waste and something rotting. I fought the urge to gag. 

"Law," Doflamingo smirked and a blond kid came out from behind the door. That must be Dellinger, Fai warned me about him on the way here. 

"There are two dead," Dellinger stated. Doflamingo nodded in response to him but looked at me as he spoke.

"It seems you've finally come to terms with our agreement." 

"Nothing about this is an agreement," I scoffed. "What the hell do you want? "

"To show you what deal we're going to get Kaido with." Doflamingo motioned me to follow. With reluctance, I did. Vergo and Dellinger stayed behind. Doflamingo led me to the last door in the hallway and opened it. 

Inside was some sort of make-shift green room. Fruits grew on something not too far off from grapevines. The fruit, however, was nothing like grapes. They were much bigger. Some with vibrant colors and odd patterns that could never occur in natural fruits. Others were dull, an unappetizing gray. There were rows of these vines growing. Their source of light being heat lamps and UV-lights. 

"What is all this?" I asked. Curiosity got the best of me. 

"Smiles," Doflamingo announced proudly. "A drug better than ecstasy." 

"Fruit as a drug?" I asked. That was a stretch even to me. " How does that work?" 

"It's a complicated process better explained by Ceasar," Doflamingo said. I cringed at the name. Ceasar was a disgusting part of the black market that had far too much to do with the disappearances of children. 

"I won't get involved with anything he's a part of," I said. Doflamingo frowned at me. 

"You won't have to speak with Ceasar," Doflamingo assured. 

"No, I'm not doing anything that he's involved in, I don't give a shit about speaking to him or not." 

"You don't exactly get a choice," Doflamingo reminded me. Did he know Luffy was free? I would have thought Buffalo would have said something by now. Where was he anyway?

"Bullshit, I'm leaving, with my mark," I turned and headed out of the room, into the hall, and towards the elevator. 

The light for the elevator was on. Someone was coming down. 

"That mark?" Doflamingo asked just in time for the doors to open. 

Buffalo and Jora held Luffy between them. Luffy was gagged with a cloth wedged between his teeth and his hands bound behind him. Damn it.

"Doflamingo, let him go," I demanded. 

"You know I can't do that." Doflamingo shook his head. 

"You mean you won't," I corrected. 

"I need you to get Kaido on my side. I won't be able to put the Smiles in the auction without him," Doflamingo said. 

"Let Luffy-ya go," I insisted. 

Doflamingo looked right over my head. 

"Lock him up." Doflamingo nodded toward the wall. The same side of the hall that the room that stunk of human waste. 

"Don't throw him in there!" I snapped. I marched back towards Doflamingo. The sound of feet pounding on the floor echoed in the hall. I was sure it wasn't my own. 

Without rhyme or reason, I jerked Doflamingo close to me by his shirt collar. 

"Let him go." 

Doflamingo smirked and I clenched my fist and swung. I knocked Doflamingo's stupid glasses crooked and shoved him back. 

"I'm not doing this shit!" I snapped. "Let Luffy-ya go." I stepped toward Doflaminho and ingnored the crashing sound behind me.

"Torao!" Luffy shouted. "Behind you!" I turned my head just in time to great the hilt of Vergo's sword. He hit me square in the nose. I stumbled back a bit and gave Vergo his opening. Vergo grabbed my shirt collar and drove me into the wall. The cold blade was pressed against my neck.

"Traffy!" Luffy yelled, charging toward us. Vergo pushed the blade against my neck. It broke skin.

"Luffy-ya stop," I called out, leaning my head back. Doflamingo laughed. "I'll do it, I'll do it, just let Luffy-ya go. Please." I locked eyes with Doflamingo. How pathetic I must have looked trying to plead with him. 

"Please, just let him go."

"Torao! No, I'm not leaving without you." Luffy crossed his arms and stood his ground. 

"You heard him, Law," Doflamingo smirked. " Lock Strawhat up." 

"You piece of shit!" I growled. Jora and Buffalo took hold of Luffy again. "Don't fucking touch him!" I fought against Vergo, but the man was a brick fucking wall. 

"You've gotten weak," Vergo observed. 

"That happens when I spend my time saving people rather than killing them," I retorted. Vergo pressed the blade harder against my throat. 

"I go and Torao will be okay?" Luffy asked he shoved Buffalo and Jora off of him. 

"You've got my word," Doflamingo assured. "I won't do a thing to hurt him."

"Okay," Luffy said. He stopped struggling and let Jora and Buffalo take hold of his arms. I shoved Vergo with everything I have. He stumbled back just a bit. I broke free of Vergo and ran for Luffy without another thought. Vergo has me on my knees in seconds. 

"Torao?" 

"Luffy, don't do it," I muttered. Jora and Luffy vanished into that room and the door closed behind him. 

"Fai and Buffalo said you were a cruel asshole," Dellinger said with glee. I said nothing, this kid was off his rocker anyway. "Too bad they were wrong." 

"Dellinger," Doflamingo scolded the kid. Dellinger fell silent and Vergo shoved me to the ground until my cheek was pressed to the floor. Stuck between his hand and the tile. 

"You should learn your place, Law," Doflamingo stated, his shoes resting just a few inches from my face. I had a bad feeling about this...

"You'll pay for this you piece of shit," I snarled because that was all I could do, make threats and glare at the door Luffy was behind. I a room full of people ripped from their homes. Doflamingo tapped his foot, that can only mean one thing...

"Law, I don't like to be threatened." Everything went black after that.


	24. Kaido

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's today's chapter, Happy New Year everyone!!! May 20bi-teen rule.

_**♡Law** _ _**♡** _

I woke sitting in a chair in the same conference room I had met Doflamingo in when I first arrived. My nose hurt, in fact, my whole head did. Hopefully, nothing was broken, my nose was something I preferred straight.

There was blood on my shirt. Dry now. I'm sure there was some on my face too. I brought my hand up to my face, feeling my nose. Good, it wasn't broken. In that case, why did it hurt so much? I held my eyes shut and took a deep breath. Who was talking? I couldn't make out the words they were saying, or even comprehend who belonged to the voice.

I blinked a couple of times, the voices were getting clearer. Still, their words just as incomprehensible.

"He's awake." Okay, that was Fai's voice. I slowly opened my eyes and looked up. My head throbbed with the movement immediately. It only came to a stop when I took a moment to adjust to my surroundings. How the hell did I even get here?

I was sitting at a table, a meeting of some sort was going on. Fai was sitting across from me, the same seat she'd take when we were kids. Others were there too, of course. Some from my childhood, all of which contributed to my running away.

"Oh good," Doflamingo said. There was also Vergo, Buffalo, Monet, Machvise, Trebol, Pica, Jora Gladius, and Diamante, all those I was familiar with growing up. The others were all new faces. The youngest couldn't have been older than 16.Dellinger. He was the one sitting next to me, at the end of the table, on the other side of me was Vergo. One of the only ones who could actually take me in a fight, at least when I was younger.

"How was your nap, Law?" Doflamingo's word should have made sense but I couldn't seem to piece them together, what had he asked? Did it matter?

"Fuck off, asshole," I bit back. Fai kicked me under the table. Honestly, I didn't care, what was he going to do? Kill me? Where would that get him? There wasn't much more he could take from me-

_Luffy, shit._

Maybe I had better watch what I say.

"Who do you-" Dellinger was mad now, oh, joy.

"Dellinger," Doflamingo warned, "Let it go, I caused Law a bit of harm to the head, he needs a moment to recover," 

"Kaido is skeptical of the smiles still, he won't touch them. Law, do you think you can convince him?" Doflamingo asked. I glared at him. I didn't have an answer for him. How the hell was I supposed to?

"How should I know?" I answered. Fai's eyes widened a little as I spoke. I didn't acknowledge her. "I've never spoken to Kaido, and I certainly can't tell how he feels toward your drugs."

"Alright then, I can arrange that you meet Kaido," The room was silent. I sighed. The less involvement I had, the better.

"If I have to," I muttered. I sounded like an annoyed teenager but fuck it.

"Very well," Doflamingo muttered, "That's all for now." Everyone started to move, getting up from their seats and shuffling for the door.

"Law, a word?" Doflamingo said. So I waited. The room emptied and I was left alone with Doflamingo.   
"You ruined my plan, Law," Doflamingo sighed. I didn't give a shit about his plan. "Fai was supposed to keep an eye on you while you were here, make sure you're doing as you're told." Doflamingo kicked his feet up onto the table. "When Baby 5 told me about your argument I was a little disappointed, but also surprised you didn't figure it out sooner."

"So what does that have to do with anything?" I asked.

"Just that your mind isn't as sharp as it used to be," Doflamingo tilted his head to one side, still with that obnoxious grin.

"Or I had actually trusted her, you know like you use to trust Rocinante," I muttered. Doflamingo frowned.

"I kill what can hurt my reputation," Doflamingo stated. I said nothing to that.

"Are we done?" I asked. Doflamingo clicked his tongue but nodded. I got up from my seat. My headache did not seem to agree with that.

"Before you leave, that storeroom is off-limits, clear?"

"What storeroom?" I scoffed.

"The one your Strawhat is in of course," Doflamingo clarified.

"That's a prison, not a storeroom."

"One more thing, do watch your tone Law," Doflamingo said as I left.

"Bastard," I growled.

"You're tellin' me," Fai said leaning against the wall. Fai nodded her head towards the nearest exit, then went through it. She wanted me to follow her, but I didn't want to leave Luffy here alone. It's not like I could do much staying here for him, and it'd only be a little while. Fai knew how I felt. I followed her. She crossed the street and turned a corner, I followed her until we were in the town square. A place I knew much better at night than during the day.

"Luffy's okay," Fai said, turning to face me. "He's been asleep but I think that because Monet gave him something to keep him that way."

"Oh," I said, not sure how else to respond.

"Who are all those new people?" I asked instead.

"Strays Doffy picked up," Fai shrugged. "Dellinger is one you gotta watch out for. He's your attempted replacement. He got here a few days before you ran away actually. You don't remember?" I shook my head. But Fai had mentioned him before.

"That was when Doflamingo locked me up in my room for two weeks," I said.

"Oh, right," Fai said, there was a silence between us.

"What about the rest?"

"Violet was the daughter of some important figure in this town, there was this whole thing with her niece." Fai began, "Loa G, is the old guy, Senior Pink was the one with the bonnet, then there's Cesar, he's a nut case that comes and goes. He's not here right now. He's been working on all these biological weapons. They sell for a ton too."

I nodded."That's it or...?" I asked hesitantly.

"Doffy was talking to Vergo about collecting again," both of us frowned at the thought of that.

"Isn't that room already full?" Fai nodded as an answer to my question.

"The Mountain Witch, Morgans, and someone else I can't remember is taking all of them in the next day or so."

"Doflamingo isn't grouping Luffy-ya in with them, is he?" Fai shook her head and I sighed with relief.

"He's still going to keep Luffy-ya down there?" Fai nodded. I sighed and stared at the ground. What could I possibly do? Follow along with Doflamingo's rules and hope he keeps his word?

"Don't worry too much Law, you'll figure something out. You always do." Fai assured.

"If you say so," was the only response I could come up with. "Why don't you go on back?"

"You sure?" Fai asked I nodded.

"Yeah, I want to walk around a little," I answered, Fai nodded and started heading for the house. Could it be called a house? I shook my head and walked in the opposite direction of Fai. I quickly became absorbed in my thoughts over Luffy. I could hardly think of a solution to the Kaido situation. I had no idea why he was refusing to make a deal, or what exactly this deal was. All I really wanted was to get Luffy away from here where he'd be safe. That's all that mattered.

_

Over the next few days, Doflamingo filled me in on the deal with Kaido. Kaido had been buying drugs off Doflamingo for a while, whether it was to sell, or to use, or both, I wasn't sure and I didn't really care. Kaido had doubts about the fruit and I didn't blame him. 

Why Doflamingo didn't just offer Kaido to test one was beyond me. 

During those days, I managed to get a few notes to Luffy. I couldn't get near him, but Fai could. Of course, there were those ridiculous 'family' meetings that I was given no choice but to attend per Doflamingo's demand. Whatever delusion Doflamingo had of me being a part of his circus show I did not satisfy. 

This first one I attended, not including the one I woke up to, Doflamingo put a lot of effort into getting me to participate. It seemed every time Doflamingo addressed me, Dellinger got irritated. Whatever reason that was for, I didn't give a shit. Again, at the end of the meeting, Dofflamingo 'asked' me to stay while everyone else left. Everyone, save for Vergo, who was off doing something or other that was no doubt illegal.

Dillinger lingered too, I didn't really care why.

"Kaido agreed to meet with us to discuss a deal," Doflamingo stated. 

"He heard your name and agreed in an instant," Dellinger muttered. There was some resentment in his statement. I really didn't get the black market seller's fascination with me. I had always been rude to them, especially after I found out what Doflamingo was doing. 

"Alright then, when will this be?" I asked, glancing back and forth between the two. 

"Kaido will be here next Wednesday," Doflamingo answered. "What's your plan?" I needed to be back in Flevance before then...

"To offer Kaido the option to test the smiles for himself, then if he likes it, he'll buy it. If not, well you can't force someone into something..." I trailed off with that last part. "Or at least you shouldn't, even if you have the ability." I cut a glance at Doflamingo. 

"Is that a good idea?" Dellinger asked as if he knew better. "Giving away our products."

"It's a free sample, you don't spend thousands of dollars on a car without test driving it," I explained. "So why would you with drugs?" 

Doflamingo nodded to my words. "Perfect." 

"You could have thought that up yourself," I scoffed. He must be playing dumb this is ridiculous. 

"What time will I need to be here?" If I wanted to keep my job there was no way in hell I could stay here past Saturday. The thought of leaving Luffy here made me sick. 

"What time was it?" Doflamingo glanced at Dellinger. 

"1:00 pm," he replied. That was going to be a pain in the ass. I'll figure something out. I didn't have much of an option.

"If he doesn't agree?" I asked. 

"Oh, then I'll kill Strawhat, or sell him. I haven't decided." I tapped my fingers on the table's surface. It was all I could do not to lose my shit. 

"That's a little fucking extreme, even for you," I muttered through clenched teeth. 

"I really need this deal," Doflamingo shrugged as if he hadn't just threatened my mark's life. 

"Is that all?" I muttered. 

"Yeah." I got up from my seat and went out into the hall. It was empty. 

I hit the wall opposite to the room I just left. No need for Doflamingo and Dellinger to know my rage. 

"Sick bastard!" I growled to myself. 

"You're telling me," Fai huffed and leaned against the wall beside me. 

"Where did you come from?" 

"I was waiting for you, I'm surprised you didn't see me," Fai stuck her tongue out at me. "Vergo just got back, he's got a girl with him that was screaming something about Luffy." 

"Nami-ya?" I didn't mean to say that out loud. If Luffy's friends were here that would just be hell. 

Fai shrugged. "Apparently she got in the way of Vergo's delivery and delayed it." 

"If Nami-ya is here, the rest of Luffy's friends will be too. They're going to be a pain in the ass to deal with," I said.

"Doffy won't like that."

"No, he won't." The door across the hall opened and Doflamingo came through with a scowl on his face. 

"Fai," Doflamingo said, his voice stern. "Meet Vergo in the basement, he'll be bringing our delivery from underground and he'll need help with the bitch that fucked up the schedule." Doflamingo grabbed the back of my collar and dragged me along with him. 

"What the fuck?" I stumbled a little before matching my pace to his, not being given much of a choice. Fai followed us.

"Dellinger, go with Fai," he ordered, still pulling me along, just like he used to when I was a kid, Doflamingo must have just found out Vergo was back. Doflamingo dragged me like this all the way to the elevator, even there in the confined space he did not relinquish his hold. He dragged me to my room and promptly shoved me into it, closing the door, followed by the clicking of the lock. Asshole.

"If Strawhat acts up, kill him." I heard from the other side of the door. 

"You hurt him and there's nothing to keep me here you sick fuck!" I shouted through the door, hitting it. "Remember that." 

There was silence followed by more mumblings that I couldn't make out. The talking became more distant and incoherent. New voices came quickly too. I sat on my bed mulling over my frustration. 

This was stupid. Why had he even locked me up in the first place? It's not like I'd do anything as long as he had Luffy to hold over me. I ran my hand through my hair. Mutterings still went on outside the door. I don't care about anything that flamingo is doing, I just wanted Luffy away from here. Why was that so hard? 

At least an hour passed when I hear the banging on my door.

"Torao!" The voice was muffled but I was sure I heard it. There was more banging on my door. 

"Torao!" Luffy's voice, surely it can't be? Someone told Luffy to be quiet. That didn't sound like Nami.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edited Aug. 31, 2019


	25. Remeber

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the chapter for today, I'll just say that it's kind of befitting that I posted this today...  
> Anyway, screw new years, it's Ace's birthday and I love that flame child.

**_♤Luffy♡_ **

I woke up with my head pounding, it was dimly lit to the point that the light might as well be off. The room stunk, like a dirty bathroom and an uprooted graveyard. I was in that room Traffy and I had gone in earlier. And I was alone. That's weird, I thought there were people in here before I woke up. How long had I been asleep? 

Still, I had to find a way out. I stood, brushing off my clothes as I did so. I squinted at the top of my cage. There was some kind of lock at the top. Jumped to try and grab the top bar but barely missed. I tried again to reach the top, still couldn't get it. I thought for a moment, taking in what I had there was an empty bucket in the corner, I looked like it'd break if I stood on it. I stepped as far back from the lock as I could get. I ran towards the lock, grabbed onto the bar along the side of the cage, pushed myself up and grabbed the top bar. Success! 

I figured out how to tell the time of day in the room first. The lights were very dim at night, and no one came in. During the day the lights were on and the food was brought down, in the morning, afternoon, and evening. 

That's the only time others came into the room during the day. Mostly it was some guy with a bonnet or Violet who brought food. Violet was forgetful, she'd do things like forget to lock the cage. There was usually someone outside the door during the day. 

I didn't sleep the first two nights I was locked up. I tried when I started to get tired but I simply couldn't. I half expected Law to come at any moment so we could leave. That didn't happen. Sleep didn't do me much good in that disgusting room either. I either just plain couldn't sleep or got nightmares when I did.

_The morning gramps had taken me to the old bandit hideout in the mountains had been calm. The ocean didn't beat against the sand, as usual, instead, it gently lapped at the beach. The rough wind was just a breeze now. As gramps drove up the bumpy dirt road along the mountainside I could see the marine ship in the harbor of Foosha Village through the back seat window. We came to a stop at a dirty old hut. Gramps pulled me along by the back of my shirt collar. I didn't want to come up here I wanted to stay in the village with Makino and Shanks._

_"Hey old man, what are you doin' here," The voice came from above us, I looked around at the trees but it couldn't see anyone._

_"Good morning, Ace," Gramps said, not bothering to find who had spoken. "Is Dadan here?"_

_"Hell if I know," Ace retorted. The trees above us moved around and a boy landed on a huge boulder next to the hut. "What's with the brat?"_

_Gramps laughed at that, I didn't know what he found so funny. " This is Luffy, he'll be staying with you and Dadan from now on,"_

_"Hey, you never said that!" I complained, how much could there possibly be to do in the middle of the woods like this? Gramps pushed the door open, everyone inside jumped when they noticed his marine uniform._

_"Garp," a heavy woman said, drinking from a glass bottle. "You've come to dump off another responsibility on me?" The woman glanced down at me with disdain._

_"I could just take you in," Gramps countered. The woman rolled her eyes. She obviously didn't take his threat seriously. "This is my grandson, Luffy. Luffy say 'hi'"_

_"Yo," I said to the lady. Gramps let out a sigh._

_"Luffy, this is Dadan," Dadan set down her bottle and marched up to gramps angrily. Whatever problem she had with him I didn't care to hear about. I squirmed free of gramp's grip and went back outside. The boy called Ace was still sitting on the boulder. He was staring down at his wrist. He didn't notice me at first. When he did he frowned at me._

_"What are you looking at?" He asked spitting at me, it landed on my toes._

_"Gross!" I shook my foot in an attempt to get it off me. "That's not very nice! Say you're sorry!"_

_"Yeah, right," Ace muttered, standing and jumping down from the boulder on the other side. I ran around the rock. He was gone. I looked around and saw him retreating into the woods, I followed him. He was hard to keep up with, but I managed to find him talking to another boy in a tree. They were whispering about something. I climbed up the tree._

_"That's weird," the blond boy said._

_"Obviously," Ace remarked. "Garp brought an annoying kid with him too. I thought I saw that old man for the last time." I finally reached the branch they were on._

_"Ha! I finally caught up," I announce proudly._

_"AH!" The boy jumped back, startled at my sudden appearance. "I thought you lost him."_

_"So did I," Ace muttered in response._

_"Ace," the boy nudged Ace with his elbow. He whispered something so I couldn't hear. Well, that was rude!_

_"Why'd you follow me?" Ace demanded._

_"Because you have to apologize for spitting on me! That's rude!"_

_"There's nothing for me to be sorry about," Ace bit stubbornly. The other boy started to laugh. . I stared up at Ace, no way I was backing down now. We were both silent._

_"Argh! Fine,_ _I'm_ _sorry," Ace broke. I smiled._

_"Thank you," I said. "Now we can be friends!"_

_"Why would I want to be friends with a baby like you?"_

_"Well, why not?" I asked._

_"I don't see a problem," the blond said._

_"You're supposed to be on my side," Ace muttered._

_"Well, even if Ace won't be your friend, I will." The boy stuck out his hand and smiled. "I'm Sabo."_

_"Shishi, I'm Luffy!" I said, shaking his hand._

_Ace looked over at me. "Still not going to be_ _your_ _friend."_

_"Fine, then_ _I'll_ _just have fun with Sabo!" I stuck my tongue out at him._

_"Sabo," Ace said to the boy, that must be his name. Ace pulled Sabo towards him a whispered to him. Sabo muttered back. I couldn't hear a word they were saying._ _Ace frowned and mumbled back at Sabo. Sabo shook his head and whispered back._

_"Alright fine," Ace agreed, "but if you snitch on us even once_ _I'll_ _kick your ass!"_

_"Alright!" I cheered. Sabo sighed._

The dream I had was strange because it wasn't really a dream, it was a memory. I hadn't dreamt of Ace in a long time, I hadn't had any kind of nightmare in a long time, it made my scar tingle and itch. I woke up expecting to be in my room at Sabo and Koala's house. At home. But I was here, in this cage room, alone in the dark. 

Why hadn't Torao come to see me yet? Had he been here while I was sleeping? This is hard, I wish Sabo was here. The lights were bright now, they had been dim when I fell asleep. Breakfast must be coming soon. I leaned against the metal bars, sighing in my lonesome. I scratched at the scars on my wrist. I really wish Sabo was here. The door opened and Violet came in with a tray of food. 

"Morning Luffy," she said with a smile. I didn't respond. Violet opened the cage and set the food inside before closing it back up. She set the keys on the top of the charge and walked away. 

"Oi, Violet," bonnet guy grumbled from the door. 

"Oh, right," she said, grabbing the keys and putting it away. I scarfed down the food quickly, it was a tuna sandwich and an apple along with a bottle of water. Enough to stop the growling in my stomach but not to make me full. Once the food settled in my stomach I started feeling sleepy again. I pulled at me until I was back asleep.

_"Lu, stay still!" Sabo grumbled. I couldn't! I didn't know why Ace and Sabo stuck me in the middle when always got up before them. I freed myself of them and got out of bed. I nearly fell when my feet hit the wood floor. I could smell breakfast._

_"You sleepy heads are going to miss breakfast!" I shouted, running down out the door and down the steps. There was a big guy sitting with Dadan. A guy I had never seen before. I heard Ace and Sabo moving around upstairs._

_"Hurry up or Dogra is going to eat everything," I called. I went to the table and loaded a plate up with food. Ace and Sabo came down too._

_The man introduced himself as Blackbeard they were suppliers for black market sellers and wanted permission to work in the area. Dadan had agreed so long as she got half of whatever Blackbeard made here, and Dadan's men would assist them in any way they needed._

_Blackbeard had breakfast with us. In the middle of it, Ace poked my arm._

_"Hey, what's that?"_

_"Huh?" I turned my arm over to what Ace was looking at. There was a black mark on my wrist. Weird._

_"It's a mark," Sabo said._

_"Well duh, is it marker?" Ace asked._

_"No, I haven't used one in days."_

_"No, you doofus, it's a mark, it means you're in love with someone."_

_"Luffy's too young to be in love with someone," Dadan scoffed._

_"Dadan, he's fourteen!" Sabo laughed._

_"Fifteen next week!" I reminded him._

_"Yep, too young," Ace agreed._

_"You've got one too, Ace," Sabo pointed out. Ace frowned and looked at his own wrist._

_"Woah, what the hell?" Ace turned his wrist over and examined it. That was kinda cool._

_Blackbeard and Dadan started talking again, they talked for the rest of breakfast and for a while after. When we finished, we got ready for school._

I jolted upright, back in the cage room. Cold sweat coated the back of my neck. My back was sore, I had fallen asleep leaning against the bars of the cage. The lights were dim now, there was untouched food sitting by the door. 

I looked around, still alone. My stomach growled but I couldn't bring myself to eat the dream had been a memory. But that man, he was the reason Ace died. The thought of him made me sick. 

I needed to get out of here, I didn't want to remember any of that. Ace was dead there's not anything I could do about that, so there was no point in recalling who had killed him or who was responsible for his death. I pulled my knees up to my chest. It wouldn't change anything. Ace was dead, I had Torao now. Something in my stomach sank, how could I possibly think that? No one could replace Ace. The very thought sickened me. This was stupid, I won't gain a single thing from misery. 

"Right now would be great, Torao," I muttered in the dark. Of course, that got no response. I crawled over to the tray of food, again just a tuna sandwich accompanied by fruit, this time it was a banana. I took the water bottle from the tray and took a drink. My stomach growled again but there was no possible way I could eat after the dream I had. I couldn't sleep either, so I returned to my corner and sat quietly. I might die of boredom before hunger. I stayed awake throughout the whole night, the next morning it was Fai who brought me food, she was sure to close the door to the hall firmly behind her.

"Law is trying his best to get you out of here," she whispered. Taking my untouched food that had started to smell bad. She set a new tray down inside the cage. "I'd do something like leave the cage open but I don't think it'd help." 

"Is he-"

"Law's fine, as long as you're safe he is anyway," Fai said before I could ask her. "You should try to eat at least a little bit." I nodded. Fai put the keys away. 

"Hang in there," she said as she left the room. I stared at the food before making my way to the tray. I picked up the sandwich, it wasn't tuna. It had ham, and tomato, with cheese and ketchup. There was a paper folded underneath it. I set the food back on the tray and took the paper. I unfolded it.

_Luffy,_  
_I hate that you got dragged into my mess. It shouldn't be this way, you should be in Saboady with your friends. Your friends, who continue to call me, I haven't answered. I don't know what to tell them. I don't have the guts to speak to Nami either, it's pathetic really. I'll get you out of this bullshit, I promise. I love you, and I'm sorry for all this._  
_T_

I read it over again. Law was such an idiot, If he had to deal with this by himself it would be so much worse. I managed to choke down the food on the tray. How I forced myself to eat it I wasn't sure. I folded the letter back up and put it in my pocket before returning to my corner. Despite all the sleep I had gotten earlier I felt tired again. The constant need for sleep was starting to get annoying. None the less, I fell asleep again.

 _"Teach!" The voice that came from my mouth wasn't mine, it belonged to Ace, and Ace was angry. I was in a shed, filled with wooden crates and cages that trapped animals._ _That didn't make sense, I didn't know what happened before I got there_

_"Ace!" Blackbeard greeted with a smile. "Have you reconsidered my offer? You'd make a great supplier."_

_"Hell no," Ace snapped. I was beyond angry Sabo was hurt and Luffy was missing. I knew Teach was behind it. He was mad we had messed up his plan._

_"Where's Luffy?" Ace asked._

_"Don't worry about that," Teach said, his grin exposing his missing tooth. Teach turned to the crates behind him. He set down an envelope. "You know what's in that?"_

_"No, and I don't care," I snapped, pulling the knife from my belt._

_"It's three million dollars," Teach mused. I watched him, not daring to take my eyes off the man._ _"It's the prize for your head."_

_"Who would care that much to want me dead?" Ace retorted, not believing a word he spoke._

_"It's simple really, you got in the way. There's two million for Sabo's" Teach set another envelope on the crate._

_"Since your boy toy is only 17 there's no price on him yet,"_

_"Don't talk about Luffy like that," Ace growled. I lunged at Teach, swinging the knife at his face. I wanted to hurt him and get information, not kill him, not yet anyway. Teach stepped back, he looked at me as if I were merely an annoying fly._

_"C'mon now, Ace, You would rise to the top quickly, you're young, anyone would trust you," Teach said. "Once you were on the inside no one would care what you did, Sabo and Luffy would be safe too." Teach continuing to offer me a chance to be in his group was infuriating. I wanted nothing to do with a market that treated people as if they were objects. Luffy and Sabo wouldn't want anything to do with it either._

_I had to find Luffy. I swung the knife again, driving it upward, aiming for his stomach this time. Teach took hold of my hand and turned the blade towards me._

_"How about I just knock a tooth out," I swung my free hand to Teach's face, hitting his jaw. Teach shoved the knife against my neck. Pain and the feeling of warm blood was the only thing that ran through my mind when I dropped the knife as Teach tried to drive it into my neck. I pushed back, pressing my hand against my throat there was blood but it was only a scratch. I'd be fine._

_The door to the shed swung open, one of Teach's men came in. Burgress. Luffy was with him._

_"Lu!" Ace shouted. I ran over to Luffy. Teach grabbed the back of my neck. Cuts and bruises covered Luffy's body. What did they do to him?_

_"Ace, you're not supposed to be here!" I shouted another one of Teaches men came into the room. I tried to break free of Teach's grip to no avail. Burgess shoved Luffy to the ground. And like that, I was myself again. Ace was across the room, blood soaking into the collar of his shirt._

_Teach lifted Ace up by the back of his neck, Ace shouted in pain and kicked his feet about trying to land a hit. I struggled to get off the ground, barely making it to my knees when Burgess kicked me down again._

_Laffitte crouched down next to me, he grabbed a hand full of my hair. Pulling my face off the ground and forcing me to look up at Ace. The taste of blood was strong in my mouth._

_"Let go of me you fat bastard," Ace hissed twisting around and trying anything to get free of Teach's grip. I tried to get off the ground again but Burgess's knee met my back. He pulled on the restraints forcing my back to arch at an uncomfortable point._

_"Let him go!" Ace demanded, still squirming uselessly. Another man came in the door, they stepped passed me. He wore a hat that had hearts dangling off the ends of it and wore clownish makeup. Another followed behind him a bigger guy with a long blue coat._

_"These the kids?" The man with the clown makeup asked. Teach nodded._

_"This one's the three million, that's the younger one."_

_"Where's the two million?" The other man asked, his voice was congested._

_"A place we can't get to, unfortunately," Teach sighed with that._

_"Why isn't he dead yet?" The clown man asked._

_"No!" I shouted, struggling to get out of the position I was trapped in. Laffitte pushed my face into the dirt and pulled my head back again. The clown man looked down at me briefly before closing his eyes and looking away._

_"Get it dealt with so we can leave," The clown man said._

_"No!" I screamed tossing and turning, kicking and squirming. Ace struggled against Teach's grip_

_"Laffitte," Teach nodded to Ace's knife that had been dropped. Laffitte relinquished his hold on me and grabbed the knife, handing it over to Teach before returning to his former position and forcing me to look up at Ace. Teach revealed a grin that sent chills down my spine he brought the knife up to Ace's neck._

_"NO!" I bellowed, finally forcing Burgess's weight off of me. Burgess took Laffitte on his way to the ground to. I got to my knees and pulled my arms from behind me._

_I got to my feet and ran to Ace. Burgess pulled my feet from under me, my chin hit the ground, within moments his knee was against my back, this time my hands were bound underneath me._

_"Zehahaha," Teach's laugh came from deep in his massive gut. My outburst had given Ace the distraction he needed, he twisted around and kicked Teach in the crotch, the man doubled over but didn't release Ace. He recovered quickly, unnaturally quick._

_"Don't hurt him, please," I pleaded, tears were threatening to fall. "Please."_

_"Your begging is almost tempting." Teach said, driving the blade into Ace's rib cage._

_"ACE!" I screamed, struggling yet again to be free of Burgess._

_"This is ridiculous, don't torture him, he's just a kid." The clown man said bitterly. Walking over to Ace and Teach._

_"I'm sorry this had to happen to you two," Clown Man said quietly. Teach let Ace's feet touch the floor, the clown man pulled the knife out and stuck it into Ace's other lung. Ace stared down at his chest, eyes wide and unmoving. He gasped for air but made no other noise. Ace dropped to the ground. The clown man dropped the blood-covered knife and Burgess let go of me. I didn't think, only ran to Ace's side. Ace spit blood from his mouth. A flood of tears was pouring down my face now._

_"I should take half from the reward just for that," the clown man growled. Teach frowned. "Get out, let the kid mourn his dying friend." Blackbeard ordered Burgress and Laffite out, the clown guy and the other one he came with left behind him._

_"A-Ace," I stuttered out his name, putting pressure on the wound that was bleeding the most. Ace winced and grabbed my now blood covered hand, pulling it away from the wound._

_"Hey Lu," Ace smiled weakly. My wrist started to burn. "You've gotta get Sabo."_

_"But you're dying, you'll die if I leave you here," I said. Ace brushed his thumb against my cheek, there was blood on his hand, it was warm a and sticky._

_"That's fine," Ace said starting to cough. "I feel like I'm drowning," he added after his coughing fit._

_"It's not fine!" I gasped._

_"I love you, Lu," Ace muttered, Ace pulled me closer to him and kissed my forehead,_

_"I know," I choked, tears dripped from the tip of my nose._

_"Luffy, you need to get Sabo away, he's hurt and they'll go after him next," Ace said between coughing fits. "Get him off the Mt. Colubo, further than Foosha too."_

_"Okay, okay," I said, Ace took a deep breath that sounded gurgly._

_"Thank you, Lu," Ace muttered, "tell Sabo 'thank you,' too."_

_"No, no, you'll tell him yourself Ace, you can't die,"_

_"Thank you for loving me," Ace muttered, wheezing out another breath before his hand went limp. My wrist stung like it was on fire. I leaned over Ace, grabbing his shirt._

_"No, you can't die" I whimpered, shaking him. blood was pooling around him and soaking into my shorts. I stared down at my wrist it hurt so damn much. It was red and irritated where a black mark had been, was now a scar. A heavy sob caught in my throat. "I love you, you can't," I said gasping, pulling the fabric of his shirt into my fists, getting blood on them._

_"What about that thing you planned for after I graduate?" I asked. He wasn't responding. My head dropped onto his unmoving chest. "ACE!"_

"Ace!" I woke up screaming. Hot tears covered my face, my nose ran. I found it hard to breathe and I didn't know where I was. A cage, I was in a cage. The room was still filled with light. I felt like I had slept for a long time, but I was still tired. 

A strange kind of sickness pounded my stomach, the very thought of moving was sickening. A fire roared up my arm. I let out a shaky breath I had been holding. The burning faded into nothing but a lingering recollection on my wrist, I scratched at the scars on my arm and wiped the tears from my face. I stared down at them again. Ace's mark was irritated again, a little swollen and pink. My chest ached at the memory of Ace's death and reminded me of the grave in Goa I didn't visit enough. Viola came back in, another meal I won't be able to eat. Please come soon Torao.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edited Aug. 31, 2019


	26. Go

_**♤Luffy♡** _

I woke up in that room again for whatever reason I never expected to wake up still in this room. It still smelt bad. It was dim and I was alone. I sat up and pulled my knees to my chest. How had I gotten here again? I was with Law, and there the bird guy. Mingo? No that's a fruit, ah, wrong again, mango is a fruit, not Mingo. Whatever, it didn't matter. All that mattered was that I was alone, in a cage, in the dark. I was sore too, my back ached like it needed to be popped, my butt was sore too. My wrist still burned. The door opened, it was Fai. 

"Hey, Luffy," she said quietly. "How are you doing?" 

"Fine," I said, and I was, at the moment. 

"You don't look very 'fine,' how much sleep have you gotten?" Fai set down a tray of food by the cage as she went to get the keys. 

"Too much," I said honestly. "Is Torao okay?"

Fai sighed. "He's trying to be, he's acting so much like he used when we were kids and it's concerning." Fai opened the door and set the food in the cage. 

"You're looking thinner every day, you should really eat as much as you can," she advised. I looked away, there was too much my mind was forcing me to remember to eat, and all of it left me feeling sick. It'd be a waste of food to try to eat it. 

"If not for yourself at least for Law," Fai added as she left. My stomach growled loudly. I crawled over to the food. It was a sandwich, true, but in the middle was freshly cooked pork, and melted cheese, I could already taste it. I took a bite, refusing to think about anything else but the food.

Once I did I would be able to eat any more. My stomach growled louder as I ate. There was another note folded under the sandwich. I decided to leave it for later. I took a big gulp from the bottle and ate the entire orange Fai had brought me. The pork had been a lot more filling than anything else I was brought.

I opened up the note when I finished my food.

_Luffy,_   
_I'm_ _running out of time. Doflamingo had threatened to kill you if Kaido won't agree to this stupid deal and I told my co-workers_ _I'd_ _be back on Saturday. Fai says she figured out a way to get you out, but it_ _will_ _take about a week to get ready. I won't leave you alone here. Fai told me that you_ _haven't_ _been eating and_ _you're_ _asleep most the time. I know its insufferable down there but take care of yourself too._   
_I love_ _you_   
_T._

The door swung open and a light turned on I quickly shoved the note into my pocket, crumpling it as I did so. One of the guys who had been at the airport was here now. He was dragging along a girl... Koala! Why was she here?

They locked Koala up in a separate cage. Koala was looking at the floor without expression, she didn't say anything, and didn't try to fight back. She had a big purple bruise on the side of her face 

What happened? Was Sabo okay? Why was she here? Ugh, too many questions!

Heels clicked against the pavement and Violet walked in with a pen and clipboard. 

She walked up to Koala, "Name?" 

Koala didn't respond. Violet sighed. 

"Alright have it your way," she pulled out a label maker, which looked more like a calculator, from the back pocket of her jeans. She typed something into it and a label came out. Violet walked up to Koala and forced her head down. She wrote something on the back of Koala's neck. Violet then stuck the label on the edge of the cage. Koala refused to look up I think she was aware that it was another person in a cage but I don't think she was aware it was me. Violet and the others left, the door closing behind them. Koala finally looked up.

"Luffy!" Koala gasped.

"Shishishi, hi, Koala!" I smiled at her. 

"What are you doing here? Is this why you haven't talked to Sabo in almost a month?" Koala seemed very worried. 

"Huh? No, I've only been here a few days," I answered. Koala moved up to the edge of the cage and grabbed onto the bars. 

"Everyone thinks you're missing! Your group has been posting things without you in it, the last place anyone saw you, was here," 

"Oh."

"Luffy! You're the reason I'm here!" Koala said. "We have to get out of here as soon as possible," Koala said firmly. She looked around, searching for any resource that could be used to break us free. "Sabo's worried sick, he's hardly slept or eaten in days."

"I can't leave Torao here," said I, Koala redirected her attention back to me. 

"Who?" 

"My boyfriend," Koala looked down at my wrist, as irritated as it was the black mark was still there. 

"You have another mark?" She asked with a look of concern. 

"Yup!" I smiled, I was starting to feel much better now that Koala was here. "Wait, if you're here where's Sabo?" 

"Dragon wouldn't let him come, he made sure Sabo couldn't by sending on an assignment in Alabasta,"

"So Sabo's okay?" 

"As okay as one can be when their little brother is missing," Koala said. Koala was quiet she looked around her. What was she doing now? "We can't stay here," she decided, pulling two bobby pins from her hair. 

"But Torao-"

"Where is he?" Koala asked, standing and reaching for the lock she couldn't reach it. Koala flipped the bucket next to her cage upside down and slide it over next to the lock. 

"I don't know, but he's not locked up like we are," I said, Koala attempted to push her foot through the bar, it didn't fit. She pulled her shoe off and tried again, stepping on the bucket. Now she could reach the lock. Koala wrapped her arm around one of the bars and pulled apart one bobby pin and bent the other one. 

"Luffy, what exactly does that mean? Why is he here?" Koala asked, holding one bobby pin between her teeth and messing with the lock. 

"It doesn't matter because I'm not leaving Torao here by himself!" I said. 

"Why is he here?" Koala asked again, sticking the other bobby pin in the lock. She fiddled with it for a minute or two. 

"That Mingo guy forced him to help with something," I explained. 

"What?" Koala asked. 

"I dunno, something to do with a guy called Kaido." 

"Why would-" Koala became quiet, she kicked the bucket to my cage and stood on it, messing with the lock as she had before. Koala didn't finish her question and didn't say anything else.

"What's this Torao's full name?" She asked, her tone became serious. 

"Trafalgar Law," I answered, Koala didn't say anything. She was picking the lock on my cage but she wasn't paying attention to that very much either. Finally, it clicked, she removed the lock and opened up my cage. 

"Do you at least know what floor he's on?" Koala asked. 

"The top, maybe, that's where his room is." Koala nodded, opened the cage and let me out. I was getting really annoyed from being shoved into cages at every turn. I went to the exit. 

"Luffy, wait, there might be guards," she warned. I did as she asked, Koala went up to the door, she pressed her ear against it a listened. "It doesn't sound like there's anyone out there," she whispered. Koala grabbed the doorknob and started to slowly twist it. 

"Oh, before I forget," Koala muttered to herself, she reached into the front of her shirt and pulled out a very small camera, she took pictures of the room. 

"What's that for?" 

"Getting dirt on Doflamingo," Koala winked and opened the door. The hall was dark and empty. 

"Elevator's too risky," said Koala. "Let's see.." Koala looked up and down the hall like she was trying to recall something. "Elevator there, which means- storeroom- storeroom- there!" She said. Koala grabbed my hand and pulled me towards a door that was closer to the elevator and across the hall. Koala pushed the door open and pulled me inside, then we went up the stairs, three flights of them. Once we got to the top Koala put her ear to the door. 

"One, two...three, four?" She muttered. "There's at least four people in the hall, we'll have to wait a little while," 

"But that's boring!" I said. 

"Shh! They'll hear you," she snapped, Koala reached into her shirt and pulled out a small square thing. 

"What's that?"

"Voice recorder, stay quiet," Koala pressed it to the bottom of the door and hit a button, a small red light turned on. The muffled voiced got a little louder, I didn't care what they were talking about. I leaned against the wall of the dark stairway, staying unfathomably silent while Koala recorded their conversation. Time passed so incredibly slow like this! I wanted to do something, anything would have been better than this. Koala finally picked up her recorder, turned it off and put it away. 

"They're still out there, but further away," Koala said. 

"Does that mean we can find Torao soon?" I asked Koala nodded. 

"How long have you been hiding this guy from me and Sabo, eh Luffy?" 

"I wasn't," I insisted, I had just forgotten to mention it to Sabo. 

"Alright, how long have you known him?" Koala asked. 

"A couple months, we met in Flevance he lives there, and he's this awesome doctor. He helped Sanji when he got into an accident," I said, Koala smiled. 

"You seem really into this guy, huh?" 

"Of course, he's my boyfriend," Koala giggled, she pressed her ear to the door again. 

"Well, it sounds like the hall is empty, ready to find this boyfriend of yours?" Koala asked I nodded. She cracked the door open and peeked through the gap, staying low to the ground. I walked up behind her and looked through the crack too. I couldn't see anyone.

"Looks good, let's go, stay quiet," I stepped back as Koala spoke, she stood and opened the door. I followed her out. I knew this hall, and I knew that Law's bedroom was four doors from the elevator. I counted when Violet brought me up here. 

"This way," I said. 

"Sh," Koala snapped. I ignored her. 

"Torao!" I said, running to the door. 

"Luffy!" Koala said, trying to keep me from going. I grabbed the doorknob and tried to open the door, nothing, it was locked. 

"Torao!" I shouted. 

"Luffy," Koala caught up to me and hit the back of my head. "I told you to stay quiet,"

"Torao!" I banged the door and tried to open it again. 

"Oh great," Koala sighed, leaning against the wall. 

"Luffy-ya?" Torao's voice came through the door muffled. His voice sounded wrong, hoarse even. Something was wrong, really wrong. 

"Torao, unlock the door,"   
"I can't, you need a key," Law said. 

"Luffy, let me," Koala said, holding up the bobby pins from before. She kneeled in front of the door an stuck the bobby pins in the lock and moved them around. For several minutes there was only the sound of metal scraping against metal until finally there was a click. 

"Got it!" Koala said with a smile spreading across her face. I smiled too.

"Torao, we got the door," I said a little too loudly.

"You still have to be quiet, we're not supposed to be here remember? " Koala muttered she opened the door. Law was standing right behind it. Law walked up to me with a scowl on his face.

"Are you okay?" He asked, doing the same thing he did the last time, grabbing my jaw and turning my head one way, then the other, checking my arms.

"The same as the last time you saw me," I promised.

"A lot can happen in a week. You don't look okay," Law muttered. "When's the last time you had anything to eat?"

"A week?" I asked. What did that mean? It was only a couple days wasn't it?

"That's how long it's been since we were separated. Didn't you know it had been at least a couple days?"

"Yeah, I knew it was a couple days, but I didn't think it was a week," I said. Law nodded, it was only now that he seemed to notice Koala standing by, watching us.  
"Who are you?" Law asked, glaring at her.

"I'm Koala, calm down, I've known Luffy a very long time," Koala said. "Now we need to get out of here, they're bound to be checking out those cages soon, but I need to check out the other rooms in the basement for Revolutionary business. " 

"Hold on, I can't leave, but Luffy-ya, you have to go," Law said.

"No way, I'm not leaving you here!" I argued. I didn't like this plan at all. Torao can't stay with these people by himself when they do things like lock him up in a room with barred windows and threaten to hurt people he cares about.

"If you're not here I can get away with a lot more, I can go back to Flevance..." Law paused,

"Every time I do something Doflamingo doesn't like, be it the way I talk to the others here or wanting to leave the house for whatever reason, he threatens to hurt you,"

"But-"

"If I know you're safe then it makes doing this for that asshole easier," Law promised.

"Luffy, he has a point," Koala said, she looked down the hall at the elevator, I wasn't sure what she was watching for.

"Besides, you miss your friend's don't you?" Law stepped close to me, taking my hand and kissing it. I did miss them, they were having all kinds of fun without me. Still, Torao can't be here by himself. Koala looked back over at us, watching Torao and me closely.

"I still have to meet with Kaido," Law said. "Dofalmingo promised he'd let you go once that was done. If I leave with you, what's to stop him from doing this all over again?"

"He's got a point," Koala agreed. 

"I'm not leaving you here!" I said. "You hate being here, Torao I'm staying with you." 

Law shook his head. He met my eyes. "Please go,"

"You'll be all alone," I said as a weak attempt to argue.

"Fai's still here, and I can leave whenever I want, especially when you're safe," Law assured, he kissed my forehead. 

"I don't need to be safe, I can take care of myself," I stated. Law smiled and nodded.

"I know," Law said. I suddenly became scared. Was Law serious about staying here?

"Someone's coming up the elevator," Koala said.

"You guys go, the safest exit will be on the floor between one and two, instead of going down, stop at the landing. A door will be there," Law started talking quickly, more to Koala than to me.

"Use that door, in that hall, there's far more illegal stuff down there than there is in the basement At the far end of the hall there should be another door, on the other side there's a fire escape into the ally, it's usually empty.

"Once you're through, take the left side of the ally, then another left, going right will take you to the front, you'll get caught if you go that way."

Koala nodded, "C' mon the elevator's going to open." 

"Okay.." I agreed to a little hesitantly.

"Be safe," Law said. I stood on my toes and pulled him into a kiss.

"You too," I said after our lips had parted. Law smiled

"Call me when you're with your friends again."

"We gotta go." Koala pressed, watching the elevator wearily.

"She's right," Law said, Koala grabbed my arm and started pulling me to the door.

"One more?" I asked. Law sighed and gave me another kiss as Koala and I headed for the door.

"See you," Law said. Koala pulled me through the door. We went back down the dark stairwell until we reached the landing Law had talked about. Koala opened the door and we were met with aggressively bright light. I put my hand in front of my face to block out the sun, which was starting to lower into the horizon. 

Once my eyes had adjusted I leaned over the fire escape, looking down at the alleyway below, on one end there were some kids playing on the sidewalk but they weren't actually in the alley.

On the other end, there were people walking by on the sidewalk.

"Hurry, before someone notices us," Koala said.

"Right," I agreed, Koala jumped over the edge of the railing, I followed her. Koala turned to the left.

"Strawhat!" Someone shouted I turned to see who it was calling me. I think the voice was familiar.

"Don't look," Koala said.

"Why not?" I asked, already looking back where the voice had come from.

"Oh, it's you!" I said the guy came running down the alley to meet us. "How come you just left? Me and Zoro looked all over for you!" Thatch came to a stop, he frowned.

"I had stuff to do," He replied.

"Is Jimbei with you?"

"No, that guy took off as soon as we got to the beach, said something about not trusting you guys and took off." Thatch explained, crossing his arms.  
  


"What are you doing back here anyway?" I tilted my head to one side. 

"I live here," Thatch said. "Anyway, I need your help, it's kinda a big favor,"

"With what?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edited Aug. 31, 2019


	27. Gone

**_PART ONE_ **

**_♤Luffy♡_ **

I was stumbling through Doflamingo's home again. This time Thatch and Koala were with me, we were looking for something. I forgot what. 

Either way, we weren't supposed to be here. Thatch was vigorously searching, at least I think he was because darting between doors, pressing his ear close to them. It wasn't until the staircase that he opened it. We went into the basement, stopping once we got to the door at the bottom of the stairwell. There was talking, a lot of it, from a lot of different voices. 

"What's going on?" I asked. 

"Shh," Koala and Thatch said at the same time. The two stood close to the door, their ears pressed against it. 

"People, they have an inventory of people," Thatch muttered in disgust after several moments. Koala nodded. 

"It doesn't sound like they're being brought in yet," Koala muttered. 

"How-" 

"There's a network of sewers that run aside this building," Koala said. "It'd be easy to make a connection between this building and the sewers."

"How do you know that?" Thatch asked. 

"I study the buildings I plan on infiltrating, duh," Koala said with a smile. 

Thatch looked at her, dumbfounded. "Okay, so how are we going to do this?" 

"It's tough...." Koala started, "we can wait for them to be locked up and break them all out and go through the fire escape."

"I want to expose Doflamingo for this," Thatch said, his demeanor shifted into something much darker. 

"That would be nice, but Dragon would kill me if something went wrong here," Koala said. 

"I'll be sure that Doflamingo gets what's coming to him today," Thatch clarified, glaring at Koala. Koala didn't respond to that, she simply pressed her ear to the door again. 

"Remember Luffy, you've gotta run straight to the elevator and be sure no one gets in with you that you can't fight on your own," Koala said. 

"I can take on anyone," I promised. 

"Luffy, be careful," she fell silent, listening to the muttering on the other side of the door. "Go now!" 

Koala pulled the door open and Thatch pushed me through, the door closed right behind me. Dellinger was there, holding a clipboard, Violet was next to him. Fai stood at the door that was supposed have me behind it, for a moment the three looked at me. The door at the end f the hall loud _clang_. I squinted to see what was coming through the door of the basement, it was too dark to see past the door. That Doflamingo guy held the door open while Buffalo and an old guy came through the door. 

Oh right, I'm supposed to go to the elevator. 

"Strawhat?" Doflamingo asked once his eyes landed on me behind his pink sunglasses. I went, running straight towards the elevator, dodging around Dellinger as I passed him. "Stop him."  
Fai was the only one who could follow through with that order, she hesitated before jumping in front of me. I wasn't sure what to do, Law and she were close, but they had been arguing

How was I supposed to deal with her? She had also brought me those notes and the food. I mimicked the motion of going to her right side, she mirrored my movement. I leaned to her left and darted past her, ducking low so she couldn't catch me moving past her. It was all clear all the way to the elevator now. I heard footsteps pounding on the floor behind me, the stairwell door opened too.

"Doflamingo!" Thatch shouted, the door thunked against the wall. I reached the elevator and pressed the up button. "You'll pay for what you did to Ace!" 

What? 

I turned around, suddenly forgetting what I was told to do. Koala was running towards Doflamingo while Thatch held something in his fist I could tell what. Thatch know about Ace? Koala jumped between Buffalo and the old guy, forcing them both onto their asses. 

"Go back, quick," she told a group of people who had been brought down here against their will. They didn't take long to respond. The others, the ones part of Doflamingo's group were frozen where they stood, watching Thatch carefully. 

"Who?" Doflamingo said with a smirk. The elevator dinged, drawing several glances in my direction.

"Shit," Thatch muttered. "Luffy go!" 

"Wait, you said something about Ace," I said, the scar on my wrist tingled at the memory of him. How did he even know Ace? Thatch... did that name sound familiar? 

"I'll explain later, just go," Thatch said, I stared at him still, well the back of his head anyway. Had he been on of Ace's friends? 

"But..." I wasn't sure what reason there'd be not to trust him. The elevator was closing. Fai stopped it. I hadn't even noticed she had come over here, I didn't think anyone else had either. 

"Luffy, he has an explosive," Fai said quietly. I looked more closely at Thatch's hand, I couldn't tell exactly what it was from this point. On the other side, Koala had disappeared behind the darkened doorway. Fai pushed me into the elevator and stepped in right behind me, then she pressed the three inside the elevator. I still didn't know what to do or what to say. The elevator doors slid shut just as Dellinger noticed Fai and me. Thatch pulled a lighter from his pocket. 

"I thought Law said you got out of here," Fai said, looking at the number above the door telling us what floor we were currently at. 

"We did leave, but then Thatch asked for help," I said. Fai was quiet for a moment. 

"With what, exactly?" 

"He needed a distraction," I shrugged. There was a loud _bang_ that left a ringing in my ears. 

"Shit," Fai muttered as the elevator came to a stop between the second and third floors. The lights went out, then the red lights turned on. 

" _Shit_ ," Fai repeated. She pulled her phone from her pocket. Before she could turn the thing on Law's caller ID was on her phone. Fai answered it. 

"What was that?" Law asked as Fai set the call on speaker. 

"Some guy snuck in and blew up the basement," Fai leaned against the wall, crossing one arm over her torso and resting the other elbow on that arm. 

"Oh shit," Law said, I could hear him pausing to gather his thoughts. 

"Now we're stuck in a still elevator," 

"We?" Law me asked. 

"Luffy's with me," Fai said.

"Hi, Torao!"

"What? Luffy, I told you to leave," Law grumbled through the phone. He sighed and muttered.

"I was going to, " I defended, "but, then Thatch was here and he needed help to take on Doflamingo!" 

"What?" Both Fai and Law asked at the same time.

"It doesn't matter," Law decided, "how bad is the basement?" 

"I'm not sure, I made sure Luffy and I got out of there before the bomb went off," Fai explained, the lights in the elevator flashed twice then went to red. 

"Law, the power just went out didn't it?" Fai asked. 

"No."

"Someone cut off the power to the elevator," Fai said. 

"What does that mean?" I asked. 

"The elevator is going to take us to the bottom, the basement," Fai explained.

"Can we get out before it does?" I wondered. 

"No! you can't get off a moving elevator," Fai said. I looked up at the trap door on the top of the elevator, I didn't see why we couldn't just get off. The lights flashed again and the elevator started to go downward. 

"Law, do you think you can get out?" Fai suddenly asked, with a new tone of urgency in her voice. 

"Um," Law paused, there was shuffling noises going through the phone. "Maybe..." the phone went silent, followed by small, distant shuffles and thuds. "I think I can..." there were more strange noises from the phone. 

"Ah- shit!" Law shouted followed by an exceptionally loud _thunk_. 

"Traffy, you okay? " 

"Fine, I'm out." Fai looked up at the numbers above the door, L1 was lit up in bright white. 

"Law, hurry, the button to stop the elevator," Fai urged, gripping her phone tighter. The elevator was still moving. 

"Law, if Doffy-"

"I know," both of them had become much tenser. 

"There, I pushed the damn button," Law said after a moment of silence. 

"The elevator's still moving," I said. Fai looked up at the floors again. The light switched to B. 

"We hit the basement," Fai said with a tone of defeat. 

"What's so bad about the basement?" I asked as the doors slide open and all the lights went out. The basement was smokey, people were coughing. The elevator stayed open and smoke-filled it too. 

"Stay low," Fai told me, crouching under the cloud of smoke, she pulled me down too. 

"Thatch," I said, seeing him on the ground. 

"Luffy, wait!" I made my way towards him, it wasn't hard. Despite the fact that there had definitely been a loud explosion, there was little damage done to the floor. 

"Thatch," I repeated, pulling him onto his back. 

"I didn't expect that," Thatch muttered. I looked down the hall, Doflamingo was on the floor too, whatever Thatch had used as an explosive didn't make any sense to me. 

"What did-" before I could finish Thatch lunged towards me, knocking both of us onto the floor as something swung over us. 

Dellinger stood over us, I couldn't see his face because of the smoke. Dellinger kicked Thatch, who had landed on top of me, off of me.

Thatch jumped to his feet. 

"Don't move," Dellinger told him, he put the heel of his shoe in the center of my chest.

"Hold on," Doflamingo said. Doflamingo sat up, shook his head and adjusted his glasses. "I made a deal with Law, I can't go back on it now," Doflamingo smiled.

"Doffy, you can't be serious?" Dellinger argued. "After all the trouble he caused?" 

"The deal was that Law behaves, not that Strawhat had to," Doflamigo said. Dellinger released some of the weight he had on me. "As for the other two..." 

Dellinger smiled, making eye contact with Thatch, that was unsettling. Thatch spread his feet, getting ready to lunge at Dellinger, but before he could do anything the distinct click of a gun was heard. 

Vergo held a gun to Thatch's head. 

"Nice, Vergo!" Dellinger said.

Vergo held a gun to Thatch's head. 

"Nice, Vergo!" Dellinger said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edited Aug. 31, 2019


	28. Gone

**_PART TWO_ **

**_♡Law♡_ **

I was losing my breath far too quickly running down these stupid fucking stairs. Doflamingo was right, I've lost my edge. I reached the basement level painting, I needed a moment to catch my breath if I was going to be of use on the other side of the door. 

Who knew how bad the damage was, I didn't know much about explosives but from the sound of it, it had to be bad. The door was intact though, so anything could have happened. I leaned against the door, holding onto the doorknob. 

"After all the trouble he caused?" That was Dellinger's voice no doubt. Who was he talking about? Me? Luffy? I shook my head. 

"The deal was that Law behaves, not that Strawhat had to," Doflamingo said. Now I was hesitant to open the door. Just from that, I could picture how the scene was playing out, Dellinger was trying to hurt Luffy and probably whoever else was there with him while Doflamingo stopped him because of our deal. "As for the other two..." 

Two? There was that girl Luffy was with and the crazy guy Fai had mentioned?

What was going on? 

"Nice, Vergo!" Dellinger exclaimed. Anything he thought was nice couldn't be very nice... 

"Dellinger, go after the merchandise," Doflamingo instructed. Then there was a gunshot, it made my ears ring to the point of pain. 

"Fuck," I groaned covering my ears. The was a shout, short but loud. Luffy! I wasted no time in allowing myself to recover, I pushed the door open, greeted purely my smoke. I crouched underneath the haze and tried to see what was going on. The stairwell door was close to the elevator, to the far end, there was Doflamingo, sitting up and watching. Close to the door was a guy with a stupid hairstyle was fighting Vergo for a gun. Fai was at Luffy's side, she was panicked and didn't know what to do. Fai was on the floor, so was Luffy, cradling his foot. I ran to his side. 

"Ouch, ouch, ouch" Luffy whimpered.

"Let go," I told him calmly. Luffy let go of his foot. 

"Law-" 

"Later," I told her, I needed to focus on Luffy, there was a bullet in his foot. 

"Torao-" Luffy started to say. 

"Shh," I told him, kissing his forehead. "I'll take care of you." 

"Fai-ya, I need water," I said turning to her, "peroxide or alcohol, and tweezers if you can find any and anything to wrap his foot with," 

"Oh- right, right!" Fai said, jumping to her feet and running towards the infirmary that I had spent far too much time in, at the end of the hall.

"Lay down," I instructed, Luffy did as told. I pulled his leg straight and raised his foot so it was above his heart to slow the bleeding. 

Fai returned quickly, the dropped the stuff next to me. 

"I couldn't find tweezers, I'll keep looking," I nodded and she left. I grabbed the reusable bottle she must have filled with water and the cloth. 

"Bite down on this if it hurts, try not to scream," I said, giving Luffy the cloth. I poured peroxide over each of my hands, being sure to get it between my fingers and under my nails.   
There was another gunshot that hit the floor a few feet away from us. It had the same effect on me as the last one. 

"Vergo-ya, watch where you're aiming that damn thing," I snapped. I poured water over Luffy's foot, he jerked his leg away from me but I held onto his ankle so it didn't go very far. Once the blood was cleared I took a look at the wound, it entered the top of his foot and went through to the bottom. It shattered against the floor and left dozens of shards in the bottom of his foot. That wasn't good. I poured peroxide over his foot next. Luffy let out a muffled scream. Fai came running back to us. 

"Will this work?" It was a pair of plastic tweezers that were far better for pulling out splinters.

"It'll have to," I said, taking the tweezers and dowsing them in peroxide too. I poured more water over Luffy's foot to clear the blood again. I started to pick out the shallow bullet shards. Luffy made a series of muffled noises and jerked his leg multiple times, I don't think he was trying to. 

"Fai, hold his leg still," Fai looked at me, then at Luffy's raised leg.

"About mid-thigh should be enough," Fai nodded and stepped over Luffy to get to his other side. The stranger fighting with Vergo shouted and was thrown to the ground. Not my problem, not yet anyway. 

I focused on Luffy and continued to pick out the bullet shards. Luffy still squirmed and groaned from the pain but his leg didn't jerk nearly as much. Blood started to cover the wound again, the smoke was making my eyes watery. Damn it. I poured more water over his foot, there was so much blood. 

"I'm going to need more water," I told Fai she nodded, letting go of Luffy and grabbing the bottle, she ran back to Sugar's room. 

"Luffy-ya," I said, looking up to meet his eyes. Luffy met my gaze, "you okay?"

"Traffy, there's a bullet in my foot," Luffy deadpanned. 

"Besides that," I said with a small smile. 

"I feel kinda sick," Luffy rested his head against the floor. He's in shock. Fai came back with more water. I turned back to picking shards out yet again while Fai held Luffy's leg still. Another gunshot that made my ears ring, I ignored it. It hadn't been in our direction. Everyone I cared about was right in front of me. I got as much as I could out without cutting Luffy's foot open further. I wrapped the cloth around Luffy's foot and looked past Vergo, to Doflamingo, he was still just watching everyone. Why?

I met his gaze, his glasses kept me from assessing his thoughts. Those things were annoying. 

"Who is that guy?" I asked and Luffy sat back up. 

"He was in Impel Down with me, but I think I know him from somewhere else too," Luffy sounded very unsure about that last bit. "His name is Thatch," I nodded. 

"Let's get you out of here, where's that girl that was with you?" I stood and helped Luffy up, both Fai and I provided support for him. 

"Koala stopped Mingo from imprisoning a bunch of people, she took them back through the sewer, tunnel thing," Luffy explained.

"Alright," I said nodding, I looked down the hall again. Doflamingo still sat there, nonchalant and observant. "We'll have to use the stairs to get out. You got him?" Fai nodded Luffy let go of me and shifted more of his weight onto Fai. I kneeled down so Luffy could climb on my back. There was no way Luffy was walking.   
  


"Thatch!" Luffy shouted as he climbed onto my back. Luffy wrapped his arms around my shoulders. I stood, adjusting my balance for the additional weight on my back. It's a good thing Luffy was pretty light. 

"Fai, go ahead, my car keys are in-" I became very aware of what I was about to say, anyone in this room could get past Fai and take them. Then we'd be stuck here. "Just go," I said. Fai was already at the door, holding it open for me and Luffy to get through. 

"Thatch!" Luffy yelled again, twisting around. 

"Yeah, yeah, I'm right behind ya, stop being distracting!" Thatch yelled back, avoiding Vergo's swing. Thatch is lucky Vergo doesn't have that damned bamboo stick. 

"Law," Fai urged. I nodded, taking another look and Doflamingo who was still simply sitting there. He had a cocky grin on his face now. What did he know that I didn't? I went for the door, and we started heading up the stairs. 

"Fai my car keys are in the lockbox under my bed, just grab the box it's small enough to carry easily," Fai nodded. We reached the landing, there was a loud thud below us. Fai and I pressed on, moving faster. The next landing was on the first floor, Fai opened the door for me. I went straight for the exit, I had forgotten how easy breathing is supposed to be. 

"Law!" Buffalo called out. Nope, don't even look back. I shouldered open the front entrance. The sky was starting to darken and people were all around outside, news reporters and pedestrians and police. 

No. Luffy can't go to a hospital in Dressrosa, Doflamingo will find us. At the same time, a small group of people came out from the alley along the side of Doflamingo's home. Koala was with them. 

"It's Strawhat!" Someone from the crowd shouted. 

"Strawhat's dead," Another voice shouted. 

"He's right there!" A third voice called. 

"He's hurt," I think it was the first voice that said that. 

"Luffy!" Koala came running towards us. "What-" she shook her head and turned to the crowd and motioned her followers over to us. 

"Residents of Dressrosa!" She shouted, gaining attention from the crowd, but not enough. It was still on Luffy, who was pressing his forehead to the back of my neck. He mumbled something I couldn't hear.

"Listen to her!" He yelled in my ear. Thanks for that. Luffy went right back to hiding himself from all the people. That's strange. 

"Go," Koala whispered to me. I nodded. She addressed the crowd. "Donquixote Doflamingo has been smuggling illegal drugs and weapons throughout the world, only seeking profit," with that I headed for the exit. 

"He has pitted countries against each other in war, to make money from them," She continued. 

"Are you okay?" I asked him once we were outside the gate.

"Uh-huh," I felt Luffy nod. I wasn't convinced. I stopped at my car. I had no choice but to wait, I set Luffy on the trunk of my car, I turned towards him. Luffy put his hands at his temples. 

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"Head hurts," he said, squeezing his eyes shut. He was sweating a lot too, this isn't good. 

"Do you feel like you're going to throw up?" 

"A little..." 

"Look at me," I told him. Luffy looked up, I tilted his chin up and moved his bottom lip with my thumb, they were starting to turn purple. 

"Do you feel lightheaded? " 

"I don't know, what's going on?" Luffy shook his head and took a deep breath. I lifted his feet onto the trunk. blood-soaked through the bandage

"You're going into hypovolemic shock," I said. 

"I don't know what that means." 

"Blood loss," I clarified. Where was Fai? 

"Law!" Fai, thank god. She was running and caught herself on the car. She set my box next to Luffy. I put in the pin and it popped open, in it was my car key, phone, and wallet. "I grabbed your backpack too." 

"Thanks, let's go," I said.

"We have to wait for Thatch and Koala," Luffy said. 

"You need to get to a hospital."

"But you're here," Luffy argued.

"I'm useless without the right supplies." 

"We need to wait for them,"

"Where?" 

"The end of the alley," Luffy pointed to the end of the building, the one without the crowd.

"That's where Koala said to meet," 

"Five minutes." 

"Law, do you want me to drive?" Fai asked.

"Yeah," I moved to pick Luffy up, he wrapped his arms around my neck. Fai unlocked the doors and opened the back door for me, I set Luffy inside and went around the car. Fai got into the driver seat and I got in next to Luffy.

"Let me see your foot," Luffy buckled up and swung his feet onto my lap. I made sure to prop his leg up to slow down the bleeding and put pressure over the wound. Fai pulled out into the road and came to a stop at the end of the building. Luffy leaned back against the door while Fai watched the alley closely and I simply stared at the clock on the radio.

"There he is," Fai announced, about two minutes had passed by then. Thatch dropped to the ground from the fire escape and started running towards us. Not too far behind was Vergo, who was more annoyed than anything else. Thatch ran across the road just as a car was coming towards him. He made it across with Vergo nearly being hit, but he was honked at and slowed down. Thatch jumped into the passenger side. 

"Go, go, go, go," he said, buckling up. 

"Where am I going?" Fai asked pulling onto the road. 

"What about Koala?" Luffy asked. 

"We'll circle around the building and try and catch her, head towards Thriller Bark,"

"Luffy needs to see a doctor," Thatch said, we need to go to a hospital."

"No shit-"

"Torao is a doctor,"

"Going to a hospital here will give Doflamingo a chance to find us." 

"Thriller Bark is nearly an hour away."

"Yup," I agreed as Fai pulled around the front of the building. 

"Stay low," I told Luffy. 

Koala was still talking to the group of people. Thatch rolled down the window when we stopped. Koala noticed him, she waved us away. Fine by me. We were all quiet for a moment. 

"She said to go," Luffy said. Fai nodded and pulled into the road again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edited Aug. 31, 2019


	29. Return

"Luffy and Law are leaving town," Violet warned. Hawkins' frown deepened. Killer sat there in silence. 

"Why?" Hawkins asked, staring down at the cup in front of him, filled with black coffee. 

"Why?" Violet repeated. She couldn't believe this guy. "I don't know, Law hates this town, that house, Doflamingo. Luffy was literally kidnaped." Hawkins looked up at her with bored eyes and a disinterested expression. 

"Where's Thatch?" 

"He went to Doflamingo's a while ago," Killer answered. 

Hawkins sighed. "We're too late," clearly not liking the information.

"No," Violet argued, she hadn't gone out of her way to find Hawkins for nothing. 

"I agree with her," Killer said, "This isn't over, what about all that crap you spewed about Thatch and his revenge shit?" Hawkins turned away, tapping his fingers against the table. 

"There was no indication of a time gap," Hawkins said. "I will not give up until Doflamingo is silenced, so long as fate allows it, but this is not the time." 

"How could it not be?" Violet demanded. She was pretty annoyed by these two enough as it was. Hawkins was the worst, half the things he said didn't make sense. 

"It simply isn't" Hawkins continued tapping his fingers on the table. 

"Thatch is still with Luffy, it can't be over yet," Violet said, more to herself 

"Why don't we finish it?" Killer asked, adjusting the mask he wore.

"How?" 

"One of Strawhat's friends is stirring up the reporters, right?" 

"What?" Violet questioned, finally sitting down with the other two. Killer shifted in his seat and pulled his phone out. He showed Violet a video of a girl who was a   
little dirty, standing in front of Doflamingo's house yelling at the crowd of people, with several of the people Dofllamingo had planned on trafficking. It was a live stream from someone's phone that was quickly getting more and more views as the seconds flew by. 

"Oh," Violet said, watching the girl talk and gesture to the people standing next to her.

"Hold on," Hawkins said, drawing their attention away from the phone. "Your involvement isn't part of Fate's plan."

"Screw fate's plan," Killer said, turning back to Violet. "You could confirm all that stuff to the reporters, you've seen all of it." 

"Are you kidding?" Violet asked. "I've been helping Doflamingo do it for years, I can't confirm it without getting arrested," 

Killer was quiet for a moment. 

"Argue that you were held hostage," Killer shrugged. 

"I've been allowed to go freely," Violet pointed out. Hawkins sighed at the two, the answer to

Killer's suggestion was obvious. Hawkins thought the cards through for a moment.   
The double-edged sword could just as well be any of them if it was used properly. Killer only wanted to confirm some suspicions, Violet wanted to be free of that family. Thatch had wanted to avenge a dead friend. 

"Use Trafalgar," Hawkins said. They both looked at him. 

"What?" They both asked. 

"Use Trafalgar, say he is your friend and his life was being threatened all these years."

"That's it," Killer agreed. "And you crossed a boundary so Doflamingo brought him here to hurt you."

"But Law's gone," 

"The press caught a photo of him when he first got here with Doflamingo in the meeting room through the window," Hawkins explained. "They'll believe you," 

"Okay..." Violet agreed. "But how exactly?"

* * *

Koala stood on the top of the fountain in Doflamingo's driveway, a few of the people Doflamingo had kidnapped agreed to argue against Doflamingo in front of the press. Violet made her way through the crowd with Killer and Hawkins. Violet ran ahead of the line of people and to Koala's side. The crowd was all shouting at Koala, calling her obscenities in an attempt to invalidate her and those who had been kidnapped. No one paid heed to Violet until she stepped onto the fountain next to Koala. Koala promptly glared at her, daring Violet to speak against her. Violet addressed the crowd, glancing over the faces, she was able to pick out Vergo, Buffalo too. 

"Everything she says," Violet paused, and glanced at the members of Doflamingo's family once more, then she looked to Killer and Hawkins. Violet also thought about Law, who had run away a soon as he finished high school. This all only took a second or two, "is true." Violet didn't look to see the reactions of the Donquioxte family. 

Questions started to be shouted at her, everyone in Dressrosa knew she belonged to Doflamingos most trusted circle of people, so no one questioned her credibility. What they wanted to know were all things Koala had said. Violet answered them nonetheless. Violet took no shame in adding in the murders Doflamingo was behind, nor the destruction of Flevace that Doflamingo had constructed. Violet caught glimpses of the look of betrayal shown on the Donquixote's faces. She didn't regret it. Violet did not talk about why she had been loyal to Doflamingo, nor why she betrayed him now. 

As Violet spoke, Hawkins realized something, the card of betrayal he had drawn he had assumed would be between Trafalgar and Strawhat, but it was actually Violet. She stood up there, spilling out all of Doflamingo's secrets to the world. She was going to be in danger soon and she knew it. Violet did leave things out, she said nothing of who was killed by Doflamingo, nothing of Ace or Kidd, the ones that Killer and Thatch sought vengeance for. For that, Hawkins respected the woman. That would only bring unnecessary pain to the families of the dead.

* * *

"We're going back to Flevance!" Nami shouted in outrage, having trusted Law to call her back the past week. She had contemplated this over and over the whole week and finally decided there was no other choice. Law wouldn't call or answer his phone and he had information about their goddamned Luffy. 

"Thank god," Usopp exclaimed. He was the only other one in the room with her right now. With tactful rationing, carefully flashmobs, and cramped hotel rooms, Nami had managed to adjust their spending habits to better suit their income so they always had enough money to fly to their next location, but they became reliant on Sanji's cooking and their dancing skills for income and nothing else. 

Nami turned to her computer and purchased train tickets to Flevance, they were cheaper than a plane but would take a day or two to get there. The next departure was late tomorrow night. Law sure as hell better have some explanations, Luffy too. 

"Go tell the others," Nami told Usopp, "we're leaving at 11:00 tomorrow night." 

"Alright," Usopp said. He got up from the bed and went into the other room they rented. Zoro, Sanji, Franky, and Brook were all there. Usopp relayed the message. 

"It's about time Nami made up her mind," Zoro said. "I was about to go there myself and hunt the guy down." Sanji glared at him.

"I have been missing Luffy's antics lately," Brook added. 

"What's it been? A super, month?" Franky asked. 

"I think so," Usopp said, rubbing his chin. "Wow, a whole month since we've seen Luffy..." 

"When he gets back I'll make his favorite food," Sanji said. 

"And we can have another super movie night," Franky added. 

"And I'll play Luffy's favorite song, yohoho," Brook said, humming the first notes of Bink's Sake. 

"Can't wait to spar with Luffy again," Zoro said as an afterthought. Usopp smiled.

"He'll be out of practice from being injured, someone else might actually win an epic dance battle!" Usopp said. 

"It won't be you," Sanji remarked, causing the group to laugh. Chopper ran between Usopp's legs, he had gotten much bigger, up to Usopp's knee.

"What are you all laughing about?" Robin asked curiously, she had taken Chopper for a walk. 

"We were talking about Luffy," Usopp said. 

"I see, I do miss Luffy," Robin said with a small smile. 

"It's safe to say we all do," Zoro sighed. 

"Oh yeah, Nami said we're leaving for Flevance tomorrow night at 11," 

"Has Nami finally contacted Law?" Robin asked, walking into the room with everyone else and sitting down on the edge of the bed. 

"Mm, no, she's decided to hunt him down," Usopp explained. Chopper jumped onto the bed next to Robin. Robin nodded in response, scratch the space behind Choppers ears.

The following day the group set to packing, they rounded up all the money they had collected and given it to Nami to count and organize. They cleaned up the hotel rooms and made sure they had everything before leaving for the train.

They were nearly not allowed in the station because of Chopper. Once that was all resolved though they had a mostly peaceful ride to Flevance, there had been a few that recognized them on the train, some of whom were looking to pick a fight, but the Strawhats could handle that easily enough.

The morning after they got there, Robin, Usopp, Franky, and Sanji stayed at the hotel. Nami had arranged it so they were staying there a week then going to another big city. They'd have to stick to big cities for at least a few months once Luffy was back with them. Meanwhile, Nami, Zoro, Chopper, and Brook headed for the hospital. They didn't know where Law lived, but they knew where he worked. That is how Nami got Law's number after all.

Nami walked up to the front desk with a smile. 

"Is Dr. Trafalgar here right now?" Nami asked the woman sitting behind the desk. Sachi looked up at the mention of his friend's name. He recognized the woman behind the desk, he just wasn't sure where he had seen her. If she was looking for Law she was probably a patient, probably one from out of town. 

"He's on leave right now," Sachi answered, the question wasn't for him but Camie would have said the same thing. Sachi was part of Law's team so any patient he had Sachi would have had too. 

"Oh, that's too bad," Nami said with feigned disappointment. 

"I'm part of his surgical team, is there anything I can help you with?" Sachi asked, coming around to the other side of the desk. He noticed the group that was waiting for her. The green-haired one stood out to him. 

None of them had been treated here, they were with the people from the bus accident. Who had it been? They had 5 surgeries that day, it was hard to remember. Oh, it was the blond one.

"I'm really just looking for Dr. Trafalgar, it's important, but not urgent," Nami said. 

"Well, he should be back on Monday," Sachi said. He was sure these people were with Luffy. Penguin would recognize them he was obsessed with the Strawhats. 

"Is there a number I could call?" Nami, of course, didn't need a number but she did need to buy herself time to think if a way to get Law's address somehow. 

"Yeah," Sachi said, Camie already set Law's card on the counter. Sachi passed it off to Nami. 

"Thank you," Nami said with a small smile. Just then Penguin came up behind Sachi. 

"Hey, aren't you one of Luffy's friends?" He asked. 

"I am actually," Nami confirmed. 

"Luffy's back already?" Penguin asked with excitement in his voice. 

"Back?" Nami echoed, "Luffy never made it to us."

"Luffy left last week," Sachi stated. 

"But-" Nami started to say. She had been convinced Luffy ran off instead of getting on his flight. Now she was starting to feel like he was in danger. 

"We're off the clock in about an hour," Penguin said. "We can meet and talk about this at the cafe along the beachfront." 

"Alright," Nami agreed. 

"Awesome."

Later that morning the 8 Strawhats met with Sachi and Penguin at the beachfront. sachi and Penguin were already there, sitting at a picnic table in front of a taco truck. 

"Hey, guy," Penguin greeted the group with a smile as they all took their seats around the table. he dug into his pocket. 

"You guys want some food?" Usopp asked the other as he dug into his pocket in search of his wallet. The Strawhats nodded and proceeded to tell Usopp what they all wanted. Usopp headed over to the truck window. 

"Okay, so Luffy was supposed to meet us in Saboady last Friday," Nami explained, Sachi and Penguin nodded. "Law had said Luffy went to the airport but he wasn't with him 'cause he was working. But obviously, Luffy never showed up to Saboady." 

Penguin and Sachi nodded again. "Day Luffy left Law kept checking his phone whenever he got the chance," Sachi started. 

"He said Luffy was supposed to call him when he got Saobody," Penguin added. 

"Law went home pretty anxious," Sachi continued. Nami nodded, the others were also quietly listening to Sachi and Penguin when Usopp returned with food, but not everything yet. "After he went home he called into work requesting a week off,"

"Kureha was pretty ticked that he asked for that but she said Law had some serious personal issues to deal with," Penguin added. 

"Law must have gone to Luffy," Robin said. 

"Yeah, Law said he knew where Luffy was, so it should have been easy right?" Nami asked this to her friends, most of them nodded in agreement. 

"If Luffy could he would have found a way to call us by now," Sanji said, taking a drag from his cigarette. 

"Law never said anything to us about where he was going. We've all texted or called him and he's not responding." Sachi rested his chin in his hand, leaning on the table. Usopp came with more food, he had been listening from near the taco truck, it's not like it was that far. 

"That's weird, isn't Law your friend?" Usopp asked. 

"Of course he is," Penguin said defensively. 

"Wait a second," Sachi sat upright, a sudden realization hit him. "Law mentioned something about his uncle before Luffy left."

"What's that have to do with this?" Zoro finally spoke, he's been on edge about this whole Law thing since Impel Down. 

"Oh, you're right," Penguin said. "Law doesn't like to talk about his problems upfront unless it's important when Law mentions something that bothering him is usually a lot bigger of an issue than what he says," Penguin explained. 

"So his uncle must have something to do with it!" Sachi concluded. 

"Okay..." Nami said hesitantly.

"Who's his uncle?" This came from Brook. 

Sachi and Penguin exchanged glances, they didn't know. Law had never told them. They knew that Bepo knew. Bepo had been friends with Law since they were teenagers, he had to know. 

"We don't know," Sachi admitted. 

"Bepo does," Penguin said, pulling his phone out. Penguin called Bepo, the phone rang a couple times, Penguin put it on speaker. Bepo answered the promptly dropped the phone. 

"Sorry," Bepo said. "What up?" 

"Hey do you-" Sachi started to asked out stopped when there was loud shouting coming through the phone, followed by a bird screaming at something or other. "Where are you?" 

"The beachfront," Bepo replied, he was moving away from the noise, which means one place, the food court, where they were. 

"That's where we are," Penguin added with a smile. "What part are you at?" 

"By the food court," Bepo said. 

"Awesome go to the taco truck," Penguin said. Almost instantaneously, Bepo walked out from behind a food stand and saw his friends. There wasn't any room at the table so he went up to the end where Sachi and Penguin sat. Penguin hung up the phone.   
Nami wasn't quite sure what she had expected this man to be but it was not tall, burly, and albino that's for sure. 

"I was going to ask you," Sachi said. "Do you know who Law's uncle is?"

"Yes," Bepo answered.

"Great, who?" Penguin interjected. 

"I think if Law wanted you to know he would have told you," Bepo said quietly. 

"Bepo! This is important, Luffy never got to Saboady." Sachi said. 

"Oh, sorry," Bepo apologized and glanced at all the Strawhat sitting at the table."Which one?" 

"There's two?" Penguin asked. Bepo nodded. 

"Well, the one he mentioned before Luffy left," Sachi stated. The Strawhat sat quietly and watched the exchange. 

"Oh, that one," Bepo said. He looked to the side, not making eye contact with anyone. "That's Doflamingo," 

They all froze. Zoro stiffened, what are the fucking odds? Zoro became suspicious of Law, how did Luffy 

"You're serious?" Sachi asked. Bepo nodded. 

"He hates him," Penguin commented. Bepo nodded. Zoro took note on that. 

"That means we have to go back to Dressrosa, huh?" Usopp asked. 

"That won't be good," Nami muttered.

"Isn't that where one of your shows got ruined?" Penguin asked. Nami nodded. 

"It was because of the attack on Doflamingo, it happened towards the end of our show and the police thought we were part of it," Nami said. 

"Zoro and Luffy were arrested for terrorism," Usopp added petting the top of Chopper's head, he had been silent the entire time. 

"Woah, what?" Sachi asked. 

"So we won't stay here?" Franky asked. 

"No, it's more important that we find Luffy," Franky nodded while Nami pulled out her phone, already looking up the next departure time for a train to Dressrosa. "The next train leaves at ten." 

"Is there an earlier one?" Usopp asked. 

"No," Nami replied.

"Hold on," Sachi interrupted. "Luffy, and I mean, small, smiley, ray of sunshine, _Luffy,_ was arrested for terrorism?"

"Yes, though it was a misunderstanding." Robin clarified. 

"They didn't even get a trial," Usopp muttered. 

"They never caught the guys who did that," Penguin muttered. 

"They did," Zoro said, adjusting the eye patch over his eye, he really didn't need it anymore. The wound was scabbed over and was more bothersome than anything else, but Nami and Sanji insisted he wear the eye patch, they just didn't want to see the wound. "We just escaped within the same week they arrested us." 

The three grimly nodded and decided not to question it anymore. Knowing Luffy it truly had to be a misunderstanding, he couldn't hurt anyone without reason. 

"That's that then," Nami concluded. 

"Yeah, thanks for talking with us," Penguin smiled and stood, with that the three left the Strawhats to finish their food. Tomorrow morning they'd be off to Dressrosa.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edited Aug. 31, 2019
> 
> I still don't like how jumpy this chapter is but there's wasn't much I could do about it :/ sorry!


	30. Thriller Bark

_**♡Law♡** _

Luffy was asleep, slouched against the car door when we got to the hospital in Thriller Bark. So was Thatch. I had called Hogback after we left Dressrosa and he had agreed to help us. He instructed me to go to the backside of the hospital and call him when we arrive, and that's what I was doing. Calling him. He didn't answer, but the loading doors opened, with Hogback and a few others on the other side. 

"Mugiwara-ya," I said, shaking the leg that wasn't attached to an injured foot. Luffy stirred, slowly opening his eyes and rubbing the sleep from them. 

"Where are we?" He asked, looking around, wincing as he turned to look through the window behind him. 

"A hospital," I opened the door and unbuckled, slipping out of my seat and slowly set Luffy's foot onto the seat I had been in. Luffy watched me walk around the car and to his side. Hogback and his team came up to the car as I got out, the had a stretcher. Luffy sat forward as I opened the door. Hogback's team helped Luffy onto the stretcher while Fai got out of the car. 

"Law!" Hogback's shrill voice cut through my thoughts, I wanted to stay with Luffy but Hogback's team was already taking him into the building while Hogback stood in my path. "Its been a while, old friend," 

"Um, yeah," I agreed, watching the group take Luffy through the loading doors. 

"You didn't say much on the phone, is everything okay?" Fai came to my side at that moment, leaving Thatch to sleep in the car. Hogback started walking towards the building. 

"Yeah, just some dicey business," I replied, not having truly paid attention. 

"So you did end up taking over for Doflamingo?" If Hogback had asked me that any other time I probably would have gotten annoyed.

"No," I answered shortly. Hogback was silent for a few moments, I knew he was watching me from behind the sunglasses he wore, I didn't care why. He hummed as he seemed to make up his mind about something or other. "What happened to your friend?" 

"He was shot in the foot," I said, still watching the door as we walked towards it, I wish we'd go faster. 

"Gunshot?"

"Yes," I answered shortly, Hogback stopped pressing. "He's lost a lot of blood, He's gone into hypovolemic shock," I explained. "Stage two, maybe three." Hogback led Fai and me through the storage rooms into a smaller room. Now, there was a bed, next to it were tons of medical supplies. The room was obviously intended, and used, for something else. Luffy was still on the stretcher, but it sat on top of the bed. Luffy refused to let any of them near him. 

"Torao!" He yelled the moment he saw me. Luffy had taken to sitting up with his legs crossed, his injured foot underneath so no one could get to it. I didn't blame him, I would have done the same thing. Luffy didn't know any of these people. 

I went up to Luffy, he grabbed my hand as soon as I was within reach. 

"This is Hogback, an old friend from school, he's a surgeon," I explained to Luffy, who nodded.

"His team is going to finish taking out the pieces of the bullet I couldn't get to in that basement,"

"Oh, okay," Luffy said, relaxing and slowly pulling his foot out from under him. Hogback went to the end of the bed and started to unwrap Luffy's foot and free it from the scarce bandaging I had done. At Doflamingo's I had only picked out the shards around the exit wound, I hadn't opened the wound anymore or cut anything else open. 

"You did a good job of slowing the bleeding," Hogback said with a strange smile. I knew that of course. I didn't need Hogback's help, just his hospital. 

"Yeah," I agreed, "we should run X-rays if that's possible." Speaking as if Luffy was just another patient was strange. I was accustomed to my patients being nothing more than strangers. 

"I can arrange that," Hogback said. Hogback turned to one of his co-workers. 

"Cindry, would you check the halls, make sure no one important is out there," He told her.

"Alright," she said in a monotoned voice, leaving the room. 

"Ryuma, make sure the room is empty," Hogback told another, he nodded and left the room too.

"Hildon, I need IV's and orange juice." Another nod and exit. Fai sat at the end of Luffy's bed, there weren't any chairs in this makeshift room. Luffy leaned back in the bed, shifting to be more comfortable. I noticed his wrist was pink and the skin around his marks were irritated. I sat on the bed next to Luffy, he scooted over a little to make more room. I put my arm around him. Hogback left the room without a word, leaving only me, Fai and Luffy, Hogback had sent the remainder of his team on errands. 

"I should go wake up Thatch," Fai stated suddenly, she got up and left the room, glancing over her shoulder as she went through the door. Luffy leaned on my shoulder. 

"Can I see?" I asked.

"What?" Luffy asked. 

"Your marks," I clarified. Luffy looked over at his arm, he covered his wrist for with his hand and sat silent for a moment. He turned his wrist over and uncovered the marks. There was five total line up evenly on his wrist, four were scars. Of those scars, one of them imparticular was inflamed. I assumed it was the first mark Luffy had gotten. Luffy looked down at his lap the entire time I observed the marks on his arm. He only looked at his own arm when I ran my thumb over the first mark. It was warm to the touch. 

Hildon came back with the IV and orange juice. He set it on the table beside the bed and left without a word. Luffy smiled and took the juice box, opening up the bendy straw and poking through the top of the box. Luffy took a huge gulp of juice before setting it back on the table. 

"Who is this?" I asked. Luffy remained silent for several moments. "You don't have to tell me, I was just curious," I added quietly. Luffy remained quiet, I was sure he wasn't going to answer me at that point.

"His name is Ace," Luffy began, "we grew up together."

"Yeah?" I said, encouraging him to continue if he wanted, and running a hand through his hair. 

"He died before I had even finished school," Luffy's voice cracked at the end of the statement. I kissed the top of Luffy's head, he took a deep breath and continued. "I was only 7 when I got the mark, we didn't know what it meant."

"Look who's finally awake," Fai announced reentering the room with Thatch behind her. 

"I wasn't asleep that long," Thatch argued. That was a lie, he slept almost the whole way here. 

"Oi, Thatch," Luffy said, getting everyone's attention.

"What's up?" Thatch replied with a smile that contorted the scar on the side of his face.

"You mentioned Ace in Dressrosa," Luffy said. "How do you know him?" Thatch's smile fell. 

"You really don't remember me?" Thatch asked a little hurt showed in his voice. Luffy shook his head. 

"I was one of Ace's friends," Luffy frowned, put his hand to his chin. 

"But why did you say Mingo would pay for it?"Luffy asked. 

"His group was behind it," Thatch said, coming to the foot of the bed I frowned. Doflamingo only ever had people killed when they interfered with his suppliers. He was always careful about his group not having connections to suppliers too. Something wasn't right. 

"How do you know?" Luffy asked, tensing up and leaning forward. He would have stood up if he could. 

"You remember that clothes shop with the really big sign that hung over the sidewalk?" Thatch started, what that had to do with Luffy's question I wasn't sure. Luffy nodded. "Well, I was sitting on the sign, waiting to meet Ace and Marco when two guys walked by talking about the bounties, and Doflamingo." I tried to pinpoint when exactly Doflamingo had sent others out of town. It had been quite a few times. When could that have been? Where did Luffy say he was from? It started with a G, right? 

"Did one of them have clown make up?" Luffy asked. Fai looked across the room to me, Corazon?

It was Goa, that name didn't sound familiar. Maybe Doflamino and Cora only addressed the towns they had suppliers in. Luffy never mentioned where in Goa he was from.   
"I don't know, couldn't see their faces," Thatch shrugged and leaned against the door frame. 

"I know for sure that Doflamingo guy was the reason he died and you and Sabo had to leave." Hogback came in behind Thatch. 

"Everything's ready to go, we must be quick though," He informed. I got off the bed as Hogback pulled it from its place at the foot of the bed "I'd like to be as inconspicuous as possible." I pushed the bed from the other end while Thatch and Fai cleared the doorway. 

"Keep your foot covered, it will draw less attention," Hogback told Luffy. Luffy leaned forward and pulled the sheets over his injured foot, keeping it from sight. We went through another set of doors into a mostly empty hallway. There were a few people at the end of the hall but

Hogback led us into a different hall before we reached them. We got into an elevator and went down another two halls before Hogback led us into an x-ray room. Cindry was already there, waiting with a clipboard and pen. It didn't take very long to set everything up, Luffy found the -rays fascinating, Hogback had to redo the x-rays more than once because Luffy kept moving. We got that done and Hogback sent Cindry to scout ahead to make sure the hall was clear. We made it back with any issues. Thatch was still there but Fai wasn't to be seen.

"Where'd Fai go?" I asked. 

"To get food," Thatch said from his seat on the floor. 

"Oh," I replied as Luffy's bed was returned to its place. 

"Strawhat was it?" Hogback asked, picking up the IV and Hanging it from the hook that sat next to the bed.

"Yep," Luffy replied. 

"How do you feel about needles?" Luffy shrugged in response as Hogback readied the IV. "Arm up," he instructed. Luffy turned his arm so it was inner forearm was exposed. Hogback cleaned a space near the bend of Luffy's arm with a wipe before sicking the IV into his arm and fixing its position. Luffy watched the entire time, not so much as flinching when the needle went into his arm.

"That should handle the blood loss," Hogback announced with a smile. Luffy picked up the tubing, twisting it between his fingers. 

"That's weird," Luffy decided, sitting back against the bed. 

"Dr. Hogback, the x-rays," Hildon said, holding a yellow envelope and passing it on to Hogback. 

"You want to look at these?" Hogback asked, giving me the envelope now. I pulled a sheet out and held it up to the light. This one was from the bottom of Luffy's foot. There were only a few shards left, and what was left of the actual bullet. 

"I wanna see it," Luffy said. I passed the image to him and pulled out another sheet, this one was from the side of his foot, there was, showing that all the shards were close to the bottom of his foot. What was strange was that the bullet had managed to go through space between two bones. This caused multiple hairline fractures around the bullet, that had shown in the first image. I had never seen something like that. Hell, I had never taken a bullet from someone's body. I gave Luffy the sheet and pulled out another one, from the top of his foot this time. 

"Look's like you'll need a cast," I noted. 

"Really? That's so cool!" Luffy said in excitement. "You have to sign it." 

"You won't be able to dance for at least six weeks," 

"That's not fair!" Luffy complained, "that's like two months!" 

"It's a month and a half," I corrected him.

"That's what I said," Luffy stated. 

"We should get a surgery started as soon as possible," Hogback interjected, setting the x-ray on Luffy's bed. "We'll have to wait until after midnight, that's when the last scheduled one is." 

"That's fine, I want to be in there," I said. 

"I'd expect as much," Hogback peered at another x-ray while I passed on the one I had to Luffy and took the last one out. 

"Hey Traffy," Luffy said. 

Hm?" 

"Can I use your phone?" He asked, "I wanna call Sabo and Nami," 

"Yeah," I reached into my pocket and found nothing, then into the other pocket, nothing. I patted down my front pockets they were empty. "Shit, it must be in the car, and Fai left to get food..." 

"Oh," Luffy shrugged and turned back to the x-ray. Hogback checked Luffy's blood pressure, it was a little low but that was to be expected. Hogback was also sure to check for feeling in the toes of Luffy's injured foot. Once he finished that, Hogback left the room, taking Luffy's x-ray with him. Luffy's stomach growled.

"When's the last time you ate?" I asked him.

"Fai brought me food in the basement a little before that Vergo guy brought Koala in." I thought back on that, it must not have been all that much, on top of that, he didn't eat very much before.

It seemed like it had been a long time since then, but it was only a few hours.

"How much of it did you eat?"

"All of it!" Luffy declared. That eased at least some of my worry, his appetite was getting back to normal already.

"Hey, Law," We all heard Fai's voice before she came into view. She was empty-handed. "Could you help me carry the food in?"

"Okay," How much food did she get? I followed Fai out to my car.

"Luffy was talking about Corazon," Fai said quietly as we left the building.

"I know," I said. Fai used the buttons to unlock my car.

"I don't remember Doffy ever sending Corazon to deal with little things like suppliers,"

"I do, only a few times," I said, opening the door and picking up a paper bag with a Jack in the Box logo on it. I also grabbed my phone from the back seat. I tried to recall all the times Cora had left Dressrosa to deal with supplies, once while I was in junior high, twice while I was in high school, and once while I was in residency in Dressrosa. Which time could it have been? Luffy was only three years younger than me. Fai picked up a cupholder full of drinks and passed it on to me, before grabbing another bag. Ace died before Luffy graduated but that didn't leave me with much context. It had to have been while I was in high school or residency.

"If Cora killed that Ace kid Thatch was talking about, that must have been why he started acting against Doffy and tipping off police," Fai said. I didn't want to believe Cora would kill a kid regardless of what he was told, but six years ago I would have said the same thing about Cora killing or hurting anyone at all.

"Which would be why Doflamingo killed him," I added When Cora and Trebol got back from that last trip neither of them would say a word about what happened, they went directly to Doflamingo and that was that. We headed back inside the hospital and made our way to Luffy's makeshift room.

"We come bearing food," Fai announced with a smile.

"Alright! I'm starving," Luffy said in excitement. Fai and I set the food and drink at the end of the bed.

"Let's see, Powerade for Luffy," Fai passed the drink to Luffy. "Fanta for Thatch," Thatch came to get his drink. "Lemonade for Law," Fai gave me my drink and left hers in the cup holder. "A chicken club salad for the weirdo," Fai passed me a box with the said meal.

"Thanks," I said, ignoring her comment.

"Luffy, I wasn't sure what you liked so I got you a double jack with everything on it," Fai passed the food to Luffy, "oh, and fries," those too, were passed on.

"Thanks a bunch," said Luffy happily.

"For you," Fai passed a bag to Thatch and took the last bag for herself. We all found a place to sit, Fai and Thatch at the foot of Luffy's bed, and me, next to Luffy. We finished our food, Luffy was loud and seemed to be his usual self. Once we were finished I gave Luffy my phone, unlocking it and opening the dial pad for him. Luffy called Sabo first. I wasn't sure who that was, I didn't recall him ever mentioning the name when he talked about his friends. Luffy let Sabo know he was okay, and he was, in fact, not missing, or dead. Luffy then called Nami and after some muffled shouting Luffy informed her that he was fine and that his foot was broken. That brought on more muffled yelling. Nami must have asked Luffy where we were because he asked just that.

"Nami said to stay put because her and the others are coming here," Luffy said after hanging up. I knew Nami was going to be a pain in the ass once she saw me, and I was not looking forward to their arrival. The four of us relaxed for a while, Thatch and Luffy talked a lot about old friends from Luffy's hometown, between them the names Ace, Sabo, Izo, Marco, and Dadan were thrown back and forth. Fai and I merely listened to their conversation.

Eventually, Hogback came back. "We should get going, the halls are clear now."

"Alright," I said. The three of us cleared off Luffy's bed, Hogback and I pushed Luffy to the operating room. There was already a man there, who had just finished setting up a tray of equipment.

"Absalom, this is Dr. Trafalgar Law," Hogback said with a grin. Absalom grew rigid.

"D-doctor Trafalgar, it's a pleasure to work with you," Absalom said quickly.

"You too," I said out of politeness, "and 'Law ' is fine."

"Of course," Absalom agreed nervously. "Excuse me a moment." Absalom stepped out of the room.

"He's a fan of yours," Hogback said with a laugh.

"A fan?" questioned.

"What do you expect, your one of the best surgeons in the world," Hogback informed me. I had never considered it from that perspective. I was simply good at my job.

"Woah, what are those for?" Luffy was looking up at the massive lights that loomed over the operation table.

"They're lights," I told him. They weren't on.

"Really?" Luffy leaned over, trying to get a better look at them. Cindry came into the room, all cleaned and ready to operate. Hogback and I left the room to do the same. Once we were finished we returned to find Luffy beating Cindry with a myriad of questions. We moved Luffy to onto the operating table, Luffy was still asking questions in a childish manner. Hogback brought the anesthesia over. I explained what it was to Luffy and what it would do. Absalom returned just as the effects of local anesthesia were setting in. We cut open Luffy's foot, first removed the bullet, then the shards. Then we looked at the damage, it could have been worse, there were a few nerves damaged and tissue of course. Nothing that couldn't heal with time. Luffy was lucky.

The break itself would take five weeks in a cast and at least a week in a brace. After that Luffy would have to work back up to dancing gradually otherwise it would fracture again. We had just finished closing up Luffy's foot when Hildon started banging on the window in the door. He frantically scribbled Moriah on the glass with an expo marker.

"Absalom, Cindry, handle clean up. Law, wrap up the incision," Hogback ordered, leaving the room. I quickly wrapped Luffy's foot and removed all monitors and such from his body. Hogback returned and ushered me to bring Luffy out. I pulled the mask off my face as we rushed through the halls and returned to the storage room. On the way there Hogback has explained that Moriah was the one that ran the hospital and was usually gone well before midnight. Hogback shut the four of us in the room and told us to keep quiet. 

"What happened?" Fai whispered.

"The chairman of the hospital is here," I replied.

"This late?" Fai asked. I shrugged and pulled off the gloves I had been wearing, along with hair cover, mask, and gown. I rolled them up and set them aside to be dealt with later. Luffy was still asleep. It was at least an hour before Hogback came back. 

"Moriah is gone, he just left something here," he explained. "Hildon overreacted. I sent Cindry to and Absalom to get supplies to set Luffy's foot in a cast."

"Thank you," I told him. Hogback smiled a tooth exposing grin.

"That's hardly necessary, I was just helping out my old dormmate," Hogback said. Hogback left the room.

"I'm going to get some air. Law do you want your bag to change?" Fai asked. That reminded me that I was still covered in Luffy's blood. It was on my jeans and shirt. I looked like a murderer no doubt.

"Yes," I said, "please."

"Torao," Luffy said. He was at his foot as Fai left the room. 

"Hm?"

"My foot doesn't hurt anymore," He said.

"That's because there's not a bullet there anymore, and you're on painkillers" Informed him. Luffy sat up and looked down at his foot all wrapped up. Luffy wiggled his toes and winced.

"Don't move around right now, it's healing and still fractured," I told him. Luffy sighed.

"I'm tired of sitting still, I wanna walk around, and dance."

"Luffy," I muttered, "you won't be able to dance for a while. It will get worse if you do, and hurt you more and you'll have to wait longer."

"But," Luffy attempted to argue but found nothing to back up his point.

"As soon as the cast it on you can move around," I promised. Luffy relented and leaned back.

"You should get some sleep," I told him.

"I've done nothing but sleep all week," Luffy countered.

"The thing about sleep is you need it every day," I told him. He wasn't very content with that. Hildon came in with all the supplies it would take to make the cast, including a variety of colors for the outer wrap. Luffy watched with interest as Hildon set his foot in the proper position for healing. He put a sleeve over Luffy's leg, stopping right below his knee. Then the layer of cotton went around Luffy's leg. Hildon pulled the edge of the sleeve over the cotton to keep it from coming out of the cast.

"Do you have a preferred color?" Hildon asked Luffy. Luffy pondered it for a moment.

"Red," He decided. Hildon opened up the wrap and started wrapping it around Luffy's leg, going over and over to be sure it was sturdy. Once Hildon was finished he cut the wrap and put the remainder away. Luffy lifted his foot, the cast went from around his toes up to just below his knee.

"Just wait another thirty minutes for it to set, and I'll get you some crutches," Hildon said, leaving the room.

"Cool!" Luffy exclaimed, feeling the wrap.

"You have to leave it alone to dry," I informed him.

"Oh," Luffy said, removing his hand. He looked at it with awe, turning his leg to see the sides of the cast. "I can't wait for everyone to sign it," Luffy said with a huge grin. leave it to Luffy to find an upside to getting shot. Fai came in carrying my bag.

"Here ya go," She said with a smile.

"Thanks," I took the bag and left to find a bathroom. I changed and put my dirty clothes away. I washed my hands and face too before going back to the room, being sure not to draw attention.

There was another doctor in the back. She didn't notice me, I ducked behind a shelf and went to the other side. I watched the woman trying to reach something on a top shelf, she couldn't reach it. I went around to the door leading outside it was closer than the door to Luffy's room. I opened the door slowly and slipped out. Vergo was standing by my car.

"Fuck," I cursed. Vergo didn't hear me. He was looking into the tinted windows. There was another car behind mine, Trebol was in the passenger seat. He saw me. "Fuck," I repeated quietly. Trebol opened the door.

"Vergo!" He shouted I slipped back into the building, locking the door. The woman had found a friend to reach the top shelf. I snuck around them, they were talking about a patient and the small noises I made went unnoticed. The two left and I quickly made my way to Luffy.

"Vergo's here," I said. 

"What? How?" This from Fai.

"They probably followed us."

"Why would they be barely here now then? Wouldn't they be right behind us?" 

"I don't know," I said. "We have to leave."

"The cast isn't set yet," Fai reminded me.

"I know," I snapped, trying to think. "It doesn't matter anyway. We won't get very far, Vergo's hovering over my car."

"We'll go through the front, Vergo can't cover two entrances at once and we can wait him out longer than he can wait us out," Thatch said.

"Trebol is with him," I added.  
"We better leave now then, before they realize we can leave through the front," Fai said.

"Right, I'll find Hogback or someone and get crutches, you guys clean up," I dropped my backpack by the door and went into the bigger storage area then to the doors into the actual hospital. I checked to make sure no one would notice me leaving the doors. I went into the hall, in an aimless search. I wasn't familiar in this hospital and I had no clue where to look. I followed signs to where I thought I might find Hogback. After a few minutes, I found his office on the second floor. 

"Doflamingo sent his people here, I need to leave and I need crutches," I told him.

"Hildon just went down there with crutches, how did they know you were here?" Hogback smirked. 

"Okay, good," I said quickly, turning to leave. "Hogback, thank you for the help." Hogback waved me off.

"Don't worry about it." I left rushing back down to the storage room. I cared very little about the attention I was drawing. I ran into Luffy's room. Luffy was sitting in the bed, crutches next to it, mouth ajar, shoulders rigid. 

"Don't move," Vergo's voice, I glanced to my right. Vergo stood, pointing a gun at my head. I looked around the room. Fai was sitting quietly, looking at the floor, Hildon held a gun to the back of her head. Thatch was also sitting on the floor, Trebol had a gun to his head. Luffy was staring at Trebol. I let the fear and anxiety run my thoughts for a moment before shifting into a logical train of thought. Hildon was included in their plan which meant one of two things.

Hogback was still pretty deep in the black market business and had sided with Doflamingo or, Hildon was, and was helping Doflamingo. I expected the first, Hildon seemed far too loyal to Hogback. Bastard. 

"What does he want?" I asked. 

"You will return to Dressrosa and finish helping Sugar," Vergo started. "You will bring Strawhat with you and he will be dealt with accordingly to your actions. Baby Five will also return to Dressrosa and be dealt with accordingly to her own actions. Thatch will be handed over to the World Government." 

"How about this," I offered. "You'll let Luffy, Fai, and Thatch go, and I'll take Fai and Luffy's punishment." I was trying to think of a way to get out of this. At least if Fai and Luffy were free there'd be nothing to stop me from leaving. 

"Torao, no!" Luffy said. I glared at him, why can't he understand what I'm trying to do? Vergo pressed the gun against my skull.

"I don't think so," Vergo said. 

"You aim that at me but I know you won't shoot, Doflamingo needs me and he wants me alive." 

"Doflamingo would rather see you in a body bag than useless to him," Vergo said flatly. 

"You still won't shoot, Doflamingo will kill me himself, just like he did to Corazon." A gun went off, it was Trebol. He aimed it towards Fai, it merely hit the wall behind her. 

"We're short on time, let's go." 

"Luffy and Fai stay," I said. Vergo looked at Luffy. He and I both knew Luffy would come after me. 

"Fine," Vergo agreed. Fai looked up at me in shock.

I signed, "Keep him away from me," to Fai, recalling that she had taken sign language in high school. I was required to learn it at Flevance Hospital. Fai stared at me. 

She signed, "again," her facial expression made it a question. Vergo realized what we were doing. I signed the phrase to her again. It took her a moment but she got it. She spelled out Luffy's name, I nodded. Vergo shoved me out the door. Trebol dragged Thatch to his feet. 

"What about the bounty?" Hildon asked. I turned back around. 

"If you want the money, kill Strawhat," Vergo stated simply. I didn't think about my actions I pulled the gun from Vergo's hand, the habits I had long thought I had forgotten kicked in and aimed the gun at Trebol, shooting him in the leg. I turned to Hildon and aimed the gun at him, walking close to him until the weapon was directly at his head. Meanwhile, Thatch had pulled the gun from Trebol. and pointed it at him.

"Don't you fucking dare."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edited Aug. 31, 2019


	31. List

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyyy sorry I didn't get around to updating yesterday, things got pretty busy (that's code for I waited until the last day of winter break to do my hw) so I spent the whole day doing that.

**_《Zoro》_ **

"Where are you?" Nami asked Luffy through the phone. She was furious with Law. We were all pretty on edge with this Law guy. He had acted too suspicious when Luffy missed his flight. He was hiding something and it made all of us suspicious, even Franky wanted to set the guy straight. 

"Uh-huh," Nami hummed. The train came to a stop. We had arrived in Dressrosa   
"Why are you in a hospital?" Nami asked. The others tensed. Nami looked around at us all. She put the phone on speaker.

"I was shot in the foot," Luffy said matter-of-factly. The others and I were silent. Waiting for something further.

"How bad are you hurt?" 

"My foot is broken, I need a cast," Luffy said. Nami let out a long sigh. Luffy wouldn't be able to dance for a while longer. 

"What room are you in?" 

"It's a storage room, we came in through the back of the hospital. Torao knows someone here," Luffy explained.

"We're on our way there, stay put and don't do anything stupid," Nami instructed. Somehow I doubted we'd make to Thriller Bark. Taking the train there it will only take twenty minutes, maybe thirty from here. Usopp stood and peeked into the hall.

"It's clear to go now," He said. With that, we all got out and off the train, we got our stuff from storage, and Nami went to find a place to buy more tickets. 

"What do you guys think about this guy?" Usopp asked.

"I thought he was nice enough, Luffy trusted him," Robin noted. 

"Yeah, but it's Luffy he'll trust anyone," Sanji added. The others nodded to that. 

"Well, we don't know the whole story yet," Usopp said. 

"That's true," Robin commented, "anything could have happened to those two." I scoffed at that. 

"Alright everyone," Nami said, pushing the sunglasses she wore to the top of her head. 

"We've got about twenty minutes before a train leaves, I think we should split up across the station and make some cash." 

"Yeah!" Usopp exclaimed. "A busy place like this would make tons of money like that!"

"There's a map there, we could make a plan, yow!" Franky said. Our group shuffled over to the pillar with a map of the station. 

"Let's see, the train for Thriller Bark will be the next platform, that way," Nami pointed to her left. Nami fell silent for a moment. 

"Okay, Zoro and Sanji will cover the fourth platform, Brook and Usopp will take this one, Robin and Franky will get six and Chopper and I will get on 3." Nami decided. 

"What are we supposed to use for music?" Sanji asked. 

"Your phones, you all have speakers don't you?" Nami asked. 

"If Luffy and Robin can perform a dance with only a day of practice you guys can work out something." Nami decided. We all split up, Sanji and I found platform four and Sanji found us an empty space to set up. Sanji dug through his bag in search of his speaker without opening it fully. It took him a few moments, but he found it and closed his bag up. We set our bags near a pillar, and the speaker, with Sanji's phone connected to it. 

"What do you think, we could use the choreo for the number we did in Dressrosa," Sanji suggested 

"That's fine," I answered. 

"Do you remember them, moss-head?" Sanji asked with a smirk. 

"Of course I do," I retorted, Sanji frowned a little but he picked the song we had danced to in Dressrosa.

"Oh wait, we need something," Sanji looked around between the two of them. "Give me your bandana." Sanji stopped the song he had started. 

"What? No, why?" I replied Sanji frowned. 

"We need something for people to put money in," Sanji snapped. I sighed and took the bandana off my arm. He messed with it until it could hold money and set it on the base of the pillar, standing it up as best as he could since it was just cloth. Sanji went back to his phone. 

"Ready?" Sanji asked I stretched my arms. 

"Just play the song, cook," I said. Sanji played the song and got into place next to me. I started dancing on the cue we had practiced in Dressrosa. The steps weren't that hard, after Dressrosa we started running out of money quickly so we had used this choreography a lot in the next town. 

People started to stop and watch, a few noticed us and dropped a dollar or two in the bandana. In someplace, I forgot the steps but I kept in check with Sanji as much as possible. 

"Hey, that's the guy from the Strawhats!" I heard on voice say. I tuned into the conversation through the crowd of people it was a habit I'd prefer to lose. 

"They're both from the Strawhats," another voice said, I stumbled a little in the dance but I don't think anyone noticed. 

"Guys, there's more of them down that way, I think they're all here," the third voice. 

"Let's see if we can get pictures or something when they're done," the first voice suggested. The flip was coming up soon, I wasn't sure I could do with people getting so close to us. I glanced over at Sanji, I don't know what I had expected to get out of the action. I did the flip and there were a few gasps and some clapping, Sanji's flip was two lines after mine. He did his part and there was more awing and ooing. The song came to a close and we finished where we stood, we were both breathing heavy and a little sweaty. There was clapping all around and people dropped money into the bandana. 

"Zoro! Sanji!" The second girl's voice shouted. We looked over in the direction that the voice had come from.

"Three girls recognized us," I muttered to Sanji, he nodded. One girl made her way through the crowd, with the other two following. 

"Hi! We're huge fans of you guys and my friend wanted to know if we could take a picture with you," The girl said somewhat nervously. 

"Sure, what's your name?" Sanji asked smiling at the girl who was probably only about 14. 

"I'm Matcha, this is Camie and Chimney," Matcha said, the other two girls wore huge grins. 

"Whose phone are we using?" Sanji asked. 

"Oh, mine!" Camie announced. She pulled the phone from her pocket and turned on the camera. She passed it to Sanji, who gladly took it and they posed for the picture, I even smiled to make the girls happy. 

"Thanks a bunch!" Chimney said. 

"You and all the Strawhats are amazing!" Camie said. 

"But I'm a little concerned, what Happened to Luffy?" Matcha asked this. "He hasn't been on anything online in a while."

"Luffy took some time off to spend time with someone important to him, he'll be back soon though," Sanji explained. 

"Ooh! Who?" Matcha asked ever so curious.

"I'll leave that for you guys to guess," Sanji said with a wink. 

"Matcha, the train is going to leave soon," Chimney said. 

"Oh, we have to go, thanks again for the picture," Matcha said. 

"No problem," I told them as the girls made there way down the station, huddling over the phone. 

"I forget we have fans," I said once they were gone.

"Yeah, it's easy to do that," Sanji agreed. Taking the money we had made and putting into the front pocket of his suitcase. "Hey, I'm gunna go out and have a cigarette, I haven't had one since Dressrosa, think you can handle watching our stuff?"

"Tch, it's not like it's hard," I replied. Sanji sighed and came close to me, pulling me closer to him by the belt loops on my jeans. Our lips met briefly. 

"Don't get into any trouble," Sanji said, heading for the exit. I leaned against the pillar, next to all our stuff. Sanji took his phone with him so the speaker sat on top of his suitcase in silence. 

I got my own phone out of my bag, both of them were in the front pocket, my work phone was blinking, informing me I had a message. I opened it up. A text from Akainu himself.  
 _Donquioxte's gotten into trouble again._ _Eliminate_ _these three._

The first one was a picture of a woman with dark hair underneath it was her information 

_Name: Violet "Viola"_

_Age: 29_

_Location: Dressrosa_

_Difficulty: Easy_

The second picture was of the guy from Impel Down.

_Name: Thatch_

_Age: 24_

_Location: Dressrosa_

_Difficulty: Moderate_

And the third picture. It was Koala, Luffy's Sister-in-law, Koala. 

_Name: Koala_

_Age: 23_

_Location: N/A_

_Difficulty: N/A_

I stared down at the picture. Fuck, I couldn't kill her! Koala and Sabo have had a bounty for years but Akainu has never assigned anyone to them. What the fuck?

I scrolled through the text again. What the actual fuck? I did nothing but stare done on the phone. It must have been a while because Sanji came back. He smelt freshly of cigarettes and... was that strawberry?

"What's wrong?" Sanji asked, peering down at my phone as he wrapped an arm around me. The screen showed a picture of Koala. 

"Isn't that Sabo's wife?" Sanji questioned. I nodded. 

"Koala," I said quietly. 

"Oh, shit," Sanji muttered. 

"That about sums it up," I said. 

"What are you going to do?" 

"Nothing, not until I talk to Luffy anyway." I looked over to see a train pulling out of the station. Sanji rubbed his face and shook his head. 

"This is so fucked," he muttered. 

"No shit," I retorted. "We've only got about 5 minutes left, we should go meet the others."  
Sanji nodded. "Let's see how much we made. Sanji got the money from his suitcase and put the speaker away. He started counting up the money, a few people had thrown in 10s there was even a 20. 

"Shit, we've got 80 just from that one show," Sanji muttered. 

"I think it was those girls that threw in the 20."

"Maybe, either way, Nami will be happy." There was a familiar bark as chopper came bounding toward us, he was weaving through people's legs quickly, being sure not to trip anyone. 

"Chopper?" I questioned. "Where's Nami?" Chopper went behind me and started pushing me in the direction he wanted to go. 

"Just show us the way," Sanji told Chopper. Sanji and I grabbed our bags and followed Chopper if it weren't for all the people we would have been running. Chopper led us outside the station, around a corner, and into an ally. Nami sat there on the pavement. She had her knees pulled up to her chest. I didn't realize she was crying until we right in front of her. Her shirt was torn and exposed her bra, there were dark marks on her arms. 

"Nami! Are you okay with what happened?" Sanji asked. Nami didn't say anything, she pointed across the alley, behind a dumpster there was a man, he wasn't dead but he was pretty damn close. The guy had dog bites all over his legs, scratch marks across his face, and a piece of glass in the stomach. 

"C' mon, get up off the ground," I told her gently, offering my hand. She took it and got to her feet. Sanji took off his jacket and gave it to her. 

"The train is going to leave any minute, we should go," she said, pulling the jacket on. Chopper walked with his side pushed to Nami's leg. We got out of the dim alley and I noticed blood on Choppers nose, Nami had a bruise along the left side of her jaw. 

The guy? We left him there, not giving it another thought. 

We made it back to the station, everyone was waiting at the map. They were surprised to see that Nami was the one bear up. 

"Nami, what happened?" Usopp asked. 

"It doesn't matter," she said with more confidence than earlier. "Let's go." 

We boarded the train for Thriller Bark. We got there when the sky had darkened it was one or two in the morning, Nami had changed and not said anything about her encounter with the man in the alley. The entire train ride was silent. It wasn't that long a ride out it was still quiet, everyone worried over what Nami hid and the trouble Luffy had gotten into. 

"The hospital isn't too far we can walk there, I think we should split up. Luffy said he wasn't in an actual room so he's not an actual patient at the hospital. Who knows what we'll be going into." She said. "I think two groups of three and a group of two will be perfect. So Zoro, me, and Sanji will be in one group. Chopper, Brook, and Franky in another and Robin and Usopp in the last."

Nami pulled up a map of the town. She quickly went over the routes we should take and then we all split up. Nami leads us to the hospital. There was something off about this town though, everything set my instincts on wire. The smallest things made me tense. At least we were only getting Luffy and getting the fuck out.

Nami, Sanji and I were the first to get to the Hospital, as Nami had planned. We went around the back, Nami recognized Law's car immediately. The back door was ajar. We were just about to go in when we heard gunfire, just one shot. I rushed in ahead of Nami and Sanji, leaving my bag outside. The door leads to a storage room, there was light coming from one door, and voices. I got closer, drawing one of my swords. 

"Give the gun to Fai," that was Law's voice. I ran into the room, there was a man in the doorway, Law stood to one side of the hospital bed Luffy was in, holding a gun to a shorter man's face, who was aiming a gun at Luffy, with a girl on the ground at his feet. The man shakily lowered the gun to the girl, offering it to her, handle first. The guy in front of me was gradually shifting his footing, getting ready to attack Law by the look of it when the moment presented itself. There was also Thatch, former cellmate and current bounty hunt. He had taken the gun from the other guy on the floor. 

"Don't even think about it," I growled as he shifted his feet again. The man stiffened he hadn't noticed I was there. 

"Zoro!" Nami shouted running up to me. 

"Get on the other side of the room," Law ordered. "Vergo too," the man in front of me stepped towards Thatch, he did it slowly, I moved with him. 

"Thatch," Law said nodding toward the half of the room the girl was on. The girl was up now, she was aiming the gun at the man who I had kept from attacking Law. I stayed behind Vergo, not letting the man see my face. 

"Luffy-ya," Law glanced at Luffy, then looked back to those in front of him. "Go in, I'll be right behind you." Luffy nodded, he grabbed the crutches next to the bed and swung himself across the room with them. I could here Nami getting immediately on his ass for the recent behavior. 

Law looked at me, then glance at Fai and Thatch. "The rest of you, go," Law ordered I scoffed. I wasn't talking order from him, especially when this Vergo guy was ready to jump at Law the moment I moved my blade. I stepped around Vergo, keeping my blade against his neck. I didn't move after that, I might be suspicious of Luffy's boyfriend but he was still Luffy's, and they shared a mark. 

"Zoro!" Sanji called, ah, and there was mine. I heard him in the doorway, not bothering to look back. "The others are here, let's go." I stepped back, lowering my sword as I did so. 

"Law, he's been waiting to attack you this entire time, watch him," I said as I took another step. I got to the door, not daring to turn my back on those guys. Law started to take steps backward too, he made it to the door, I stepped out of the room just as Law did. Law closed the door. 

"Find something to barricade it," Law said quickly. "It won't trap them but it will buy time." I sheathed my sword, Sanji and I found a shelf that was easy enough to push. While we did that, Law had leaned his back against the door, he was taking apart the gun, sliding his fingers across every part he touched in a weird way. 

He was smudging the fingerprints he left on it. He moved as Sanji and I brought the shelf over. We left it in front of the door and left, and Law left the gun. 

Usopp and Robin were there. Nami was still scolding Luffy, telling him how immature it was to miss his flight and how asshole-ish he was for not bothering to call, then how much of a reckless idiot he was for getting hurt. Finally, to top it all off Nami made it known to Luffy that we couldn't manage as a group that long without him and his strawhat because that was our identity to other people. 

"It's not like I could help it!" Luffy said once Nami was finished. 

"And you!" Nami turned on Law, she was relentless in her scolding, going off on him for letting Luffy get away with all the shit he had pulled. Luffy might have gotten annoyed at Nami'd scolding but Law was flat out pissed at Nami over it.

"Yeah, I get it you were worried," Law snapped. "But you don't know shit about what happened to leave me the fuck alone." Nami was put off a little by that, none of us had ever spoken to her like that. 

"Torao!" Luffy was annoyed now. Law looked over at Luffy. "Don't talk to my friends like that." Law signed, shook his head, and walked over to his car, getting into the driver seat. He left the door open and rubbed his face, then rested his forehead against the staring wheel. 

"Zoro," Sanji said quietly as Usopp and Robin were talking to Luffy. 

"Hm?" I hummed, turning in his direction. 

"Isn't that one of the guys from your list?"

"Yeah, shit, that reminds me I have to talk to Luffy," I said. Sanji nodded, lighting a cigarette. 

"Chopper!" Luffy shouted, Chopper ran for Luffy full force Luffy lowered himself to the ground as Chopper jumped on him, both of them hit the pavement. Choppers tail washed viciously.

"You've gotten so big!" Luffy scratched behind Choppers ears as Chopper licked Luffys face. 

"Luffy," I finally said, now was better than never, Thatch and the girl had gone over by Law so they were either out of earshot or not paying attention. Luffy smiled up at me with a huge grin. I pulled out my phone and opened up my list. I walked over to him, handing him the phone. Luffy looked down at it for a moment, then looked over at Thatch with a frown. Then he saw Koala's picture. 

"No," he said simply, gain attention from the rest of the Strawhats. "You can't." 

"I know," I said flatly. The others were curious as to what Luffy was talking about.

"You think we can handle that though?" I asked him. Luffy knew what I meant by that. 

"Of course!" Luffy said with full confidence. Nami looked down at my phone over Luffy's shoulder. She saw Koala on my list. 

"What? When did you get this?" She questioned. 

"At the train station."

"What are we going to do about it?" 

"Nothing," Luffy said, finally getting Chopper to settle down. "Zoro won't do it,"

"The government will go after him again," Nami pointed out. 

"And Luffy says we can handle it," I replied. 

"Because we did that so well before," Usopp retorted. 

"Yeah, what's so different now?" Nami asked. 

"Everything," Luffy said with a smile.

"So we'll just wait until the World Government retaliates?" Brook asked. 

"Yep!" Luffy said with a smile. Law came back to the group we had made. 

"We should get out of here, surely Vergo and the others will get out of that room soon, and police will be here any moment. I'm surprised they're not already here." He said. Luffy started to pull himself up off the ground, using one crutch to do so. Once he was done Luffy scooped the other crutch off the ground. 

"You're right," Nami said with a sigh. "We'll make our way back to the station, we should head back to Water 7, there a lot of people here which means a big crowd."

"Luffy can't dance," Usopp reminded. 

"Damn," Nami muttered, falling silent for a moment. "Luffy, you'll have to stay with Law or Sabo until that's all healed." 

"That's fine! I'll be able to dance again in no time!" Luffy said with a huge smile. 

"Exactly," Usopp said, patting Luffy's shoulder. 

"We'll break up into groups like we were before, too many people walking at night will draw attention," Nami announced. We all agreed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edited Aug. 31, 2019


	32. Stupid

**_♤Luffy♡_ **

"Mugiwara-ya," that was my Torao's voice trying to wake me up. The sun was up and shining, and Law looked exhausted. 

"Good Morning Torao!" I said happily. Law smiled. 

"We're home," Law said I stretched, my back popped along with my shoulders and knees and toes, I climbed out of the car and my bare feet hit the pavement. Oh right, there was a cast on my foot. Law leaned over me, picking up the crutches from the floor of the car. I stood, not putting weight on my casted leg. I took the crutches and used them to move. We got around the car and to the curb of the road. I stared at for a moment, Fai and Law kept walking. How do I...?

I picked up my good foot and brought it up to the curb, then the crutches, ah that wasn't so hard. These crutches were fun, they gave me a longer stride and it was easy to catch up with Fai and Law. Oof, there was a higher step to get to Law's door. The curb wasn't nearly as high at this. Law opened up the door. I stared down at it just as I had with the curb. I tried to do the same thing as I had with the curb, but the height difference was too awkward and I couldn't shift my weight without falling. I moved back, that's when Law noticed my struggle. 

"Do you need help?" Law asked.

"Nope!" I said with a smile as I set the crutches on the higher step and pulled myself up. "See?" The three of us shuffled inside. Fai stretched and sighed.

"I need a shower," she decided and headed or the bathroom. 

"And I need a nap," Law muttered heading to his bedroom. Sleepy Law means cuddly Law, I followed him. Law was changing clothes when I came in. I let the crutches drop to the floor and let myself drop onto the bed. The comfy bed reminded me that the back seat of Law's car was, in fact, a horrible place to sleep. I rolled over on my back just as Law came over. 

"Scoot over, you're taking up the whole bed," Law muttered.

"I don't wanna move."

Law sighed, he clearly didn't have the energy to put up any kind of argument. He climbed into bed and put his head on my chest and his arm across my torso. He was asleep nearly the moment his head fell onto my chest, I hugged Law, he must not have slept the whole night. He needed more than just a nap and it wasn't too long before I was asleep too.  
  
"Law," this was Fai's voice it was quiet and soft, she was only trying to wake Law up but he was in a deep sleep, still with his arms around me. Fai shook Law's leg. 

"What's going on?" I asked. Law should sleep as long as he needs to. 

"Doflamingo is outside."

"Can't that asshole just leave Traffy alone?" I asked it wasn't fair to Torao, he just wanted for that guy to leave him alone, how hard was that?

"You're telling me," Fai muttered. I really didn't want to get up but I didn't want Toroa to wake up either. So I moved to get up, slowly shifting as to not wake Law. When I was almost free of him Law groaned in his sleep and pulled me closer to him. Fai giggled. I let out an exasperated sigh and started over, this time successfully breaking free of Law's sleepy cuddles. I made my way to the edge of the bed and looked around for my crutches. They weren't there.

"Oh, this side," Fai picked them up from the other side of the bed and brought them to me. I made my way to the front house. That Mingo guy was out there, leaning on Law's car. He was by himself. I took a deep breath and reached for the door.

"Luffy, you shouldn't-" Fai started to say but stopped when I looked up at her.

"Torao's dealt with him enough for today, huh?" I asked she nodded, I opened the door, only to be met with the struggle of figuring out how to get down the step. It was easier down than up. 

"Ah, Strawhat, still around?" The guy asked with a smirk.

"Duh, what are you doing here?" I demanded. This man was not welcomed around my Torao or his home. 

"Law should be in Dressrosa," Doflamingo said. I'd cross my arms if I didn't have the crutches. 

"Not if he doesn't want to be," I retorted.

"Fufufu," was that a laugh? "Law owes his family."

"He doesn't ow you shit," I bit, Law's front door opened, it was Fai. She looked freshly angry.

"Don't pull that shit Doffy," Fai snapped, coming down the sidewalk. How had she known what we were talking about? "I know damned well you can make a deal with Kaido all by yourself, you don't need Law, you just don't think Dellinger is fit to take over for your sleazy ass.

"Dellinger is a child, he's still not ready for the business yet." 

"Where the hell was that attitude when Law was his age?" Fai pointed an accusing finger at Mingo You didn't give a shit about putting him in the black market, didn't give a shit about making him a murderer when all he wanted was to help people."

"And you didn't give two fucks about making him watch Cora die either you shit!" Fai was on the verge of tears. "Just leave Law the fuck alone!" 

Doflamingo looked at her in surprise. "What did you forget that I was the one who warned Corazon? The one who tipped off the police that night? The one who helped Law get out of that God-forsaken place?" Fai asked. Doflamingo frowned. "Go on back to Dressrosa, all you'll have is hell waiting for you." Who was Corazon? I heard that name before. I had so many questions now. What night? Police? Murder?

"Leave," Fai demanded. Doflamingo frowned he was at a loss for words and only stared at Fai. The anger coming off Fai was so intense I could feel the pure hatred she had for this man.

"You said it yourself, all I've got is hell waiting for me," Doflaminog smirked.

"It shouldn't bother you, you're the king of it," Fai said with bitterness only black coffee could achieve. Doflamingo let out a low whistle, I heard the door open again, Law was up. I looked over my shoulder, I was the only one who seemed to notice him. He squinted at us in the sunlight.

"Where's Law?" Doflamingo asked, he really hadn't noticed.

"Not here," Fai retorted, nor did she. There was a moment of silence between the two as Law started to walk to us. He still looked too tired to function. 

"You put a bounty on my boyfriend then you show up at my house like nothing happened?" Law asked, again there was something in his voice that was just plain wrong. It wasn't Law, and it left me feeling uneasy, almost scared. Doflamingo smiled. 

"You backed out on our deal," Doflamingo leaned against Law's car. 

"I think it's the other way around, Luffy got hurt before I did anything outside your conditions," Law's voice was as filled with as much anger as Fai's had been. Doflamingo considered Law's words for a moment, then frowned. He was quiet for a while. 

"Get off my property before I call the police," Law barked. 

Distant police sirens could be heard. Doflamingo frowned again and clicked his tongue. "This isn't over." Doflamingo strode across the street and got into a car. That same car sped down the street. Law watched the car carefully, he glared at it as it turned out of sight. 

"We need to talk," Law said to me, anger still rich in his voice, Law headed back inside. Fai stared after him, then glanced at me. She sighed and shook her head. She started walking down the street, in the opposite direction Doflamingo had gone. I went inside, what did Law want to talk about? 

Law was sitting on the couch, his elbows resting on his knees and this fingers intertwined, resting against his chin.

"What do you wanna talk about?" I asked as I came in. Law stayed quiet, something was obviously bothering him. Other than Doflamingo showing up here. I sat down next to him, tucking my casted foot underneath my other leg as I did and letting my crutched slip to the ground.

"I-" Law started to say but stopped himself, his frown deepened, At least he didn't sound so angry anymore. I tilted my head to one side, waiting for him to compile his thoughts and tell me what he was trying to say. "Doflamingo won't leave me alone until he gets what he wants from me."

"Okay?" 

"He'll do anything to get it, but you know that already." I nodded, waiting to see where Law was going with this before I said anything. My mark started to tingle, Law's mark to be specific. It was a cold sensation, not physically cold, but emotionally, if that made any sense. I rubbed the skin of my wrist, trying not to scratch it. I worried Law when I did that. 

"I can't have you get hurt because of all this," Law said, staring at the ground.

"What do you mean?" I asked. Law looked up at me and tapped on the cast.

"This, shouldn't have happened, this could have ended your career." Law looked away from me and back to the floor. 

"If you stay around me you're only going to get hurt," Law said quietly. "Worse than you already have."

"So what?" I asked. "I can take care of myself Torao, I don't care if I get hurt. I'll heal."

"It's more than that," Law said, still staring at the ground. He shook his head and his leg started to bounce. "Doflamingo talked about selling you or killing you so casually..."

"It's just talk, Torao, I don't get what you're trying to tell me!" I said in frustration. Law didn't say anything for a while. Which only frustrated and confused me even more. 

"I can't be with you anymore," Law spoke solemnly. My heart dropped, I looked down at my mark, it was still black. So why would Law say that?

"What?" I didn't expect my voice to crack like that. Law closed his eyes. 

"If you end up dead because of m- him, I couldn't live with myself," Law said he was staring at the ground like he was trying not to look at me. "You'll be far better off away from me." 

"That's bullshit," I snapped, standing and not giving a shit about my broken foot. 

"Excuse me?" Law finally looked up at me, his eyes showing a mix of emotions that I couldn't begin to understand. 

"That's bullshit, you're not breaking up with me just because you're scared," I said. Law looked up at me speechless. 

"Luffy-"

"No!" I cut him off, I didn't want to hear any more of it. "You don't get to do that." My voice cracked again. My eyes were getting watery too, no, I won't cry. 

"Luffy-ya," Law repeated. "I'm trying to protect you."

"I know and your attempt was stupid and it hurt," I retorted. Law stared at me for a moment longer. 

"Why are you like this?" He asked out of frustration. 

"Like what? You're the one being stupid!" Law's mark started tingling again. It was stronger than the last time. I rubbed my wrist again. 

"What's wrong?" Law suddenly asked. 

"Besides you being a jerk?" The tingling was relentless and rubbing my wrist was not helping, I couldn't take it anymore. I dug my nails into my skin, scratching over the mark frantically. 

"Stop it," Law said gently, he reached for my arm but I moved away from him, stumbling over my broken foot and falling on my ass next to the coffee table. 

"Luffy-ya," Law said, pulling my wrist away from me, it was red and irritated now, still the tingling wouldn't go away, and in some parts, my wrist was bleeding. 

"You don't feel it?" I asked. 

"The tingling? Yes but it's barely noticeable," Law said. "I'll be right back, don't move." Law got up and went to the bathroom to return moments later with first aid stuff. He poured peroxide onto a cotton ball and pressed to my skin, it stung a little. He put a cotton square over the parts where I had broken skin and started to bleed a little and put a wrap over it, being sure to cover up my marks. 

I stood, using the coffee table to push myself up. Trying to balance on one foot was hard, I wobbled, feeling like I was going to fall. Law caught me around the waist and pulled me close to him to keep me from falling. Once I was steady Law didn't let go of me, he pulled me into a hug, pressing his forehead to my chest. 

"I'm sorry," He muttered with a heavy sigh, I returned his hug, letting my fingers go through his soft, and slightly oily hair. "I just-"

"I know," I said. 

"I love you," Law said, looking up at me. I smiled.

"I love you, too," I said, kissing Law. Law bit my lower lip hard, making me gasp. Torao pushed his tongue into my mouth and pulled me into his lap, leaning back against the couch, I bumped the table with my cast, whoops. Law slipped his hands under my shirt, his hands were colder than I had expected. 

I pulled away, partially from jumping in reaction to his cold hands, but also because I was running low on air. Law started kissing my neck. Sure, he doesn't mind leaving hickeys on me but I can't give him one! Law bit at my skin, he didn't stop picking new spots to bite at until I moaned. Fai walked in the door just as the noise escaped my lips. Law stopped what he was doing and moved his hands to a more appropriate place. 

"Oh my god, ya nasties," Fai said, dropping the bag she was carrying on the coffee table. The smell of food reminded me how long it had been since I had eaten.

"There's two corn dogs, two chimi's and some potato wedges in there for you, Luffy," Fai said, sitting on the couch, nearly tripping over my crutches. I climbed off of Law's lap and leaned over

Fai to reach the bag on the table. 

"Law, you perv!" Fai exclaimed as I returned to my spot between the two, with the bag of food. Fai had reached behind me and hit Law. The smell of mini-mart food made my stomach growl as

I opened up the bag.

"What?" I questioned, I had heard Nami call guys that on multiple occasions, Sabo would also call Ace that every once and a while, but I wasn't entirely sure what it meant. I wasn't paying very much attention to them though, so if either of them said anything to me I didn't notice.

"Since when was I not allowed to check out my boyfriend?" Law retorted. 

"Since I was in the room, gawk at Luffy's ass when I'm not here." Fai reached over me and picked the remote off the table. 

"Fai, there's no food for you or Torao," I pointed out, having gone through the bag. 

"I ate before I came back and Law won't even touch mini-mart food," Fai explained. 

"It's disgusting," Law confirmed. "I'm not watching The Fault in Our Stars with you again, Fai." 

"It's the only good thing that's on," Fai said. "You should just get Netflix and Hulu instead of cable." 

"I set up Nami's Netflix for Torao on the DVD player the last time I was here," I recalled, digging into the chimi. With everything that happened last night, and going to sleep right after I forgot how hungry I was!

"At least one of you has some sanity," Fai said, switching over to the DVD player and opening Netflix. "What do you guys wanna watch?" Law and I shrugged.

"I'm going to pick something girly then," Fai warned, neither of us cared. Fai picked a movie called The Kissing Booth. I didn't remember much of the movie, mostly Law saying the movie was predictable and guessed the ending right at the start, Fai in response, threw a shoe at him, which hit me before and after it hit Law, but we did all fall asleep before the movie was finished.

I was using Law's lap as a pillow and Law was slouched against the couch while Fai had fallen asleep on me. It was way too hot for the three of us to be in a position like that, I freed myself from the couch without waking either of them up. I decided to take a shower, I really needed one too. I turned on the water to let it run and get warm while I got clean clothes. Fai was awake when I returned from Law's room. 

"Shower?" She asked, yawning and stretching. I nodded.

"You need to put a plastic bag over that," Fai pointed at my foot. "It's not supposed to get wet."

"How?" 

"C'mere," Fai motioned me to follow her, I swung myself into the kitchen behind Fai. Fai dug around in the cupboards before pulling out a couple old grocery bags. "Let me see your foot." I did as Fai asked. She took the bag a slipped it over my foot, tying it closed around my leg, just above the cast. She took another bag and did the same thing. It felt weird. 

"All set," she said.

"Thanks," I made my way to the bathroom and got into the shower, making sure the water was nice and hot. I was only a minute or two into my shower when I heard the door open, I wasn't entirely sure though, because of the running water. 

"Fai?" I questioned, seeing as she was the only one awake when I got in, though it seemed weird that she'd come in.

"If Fai is coming in here while you're showering I think I'd have some questions for both of you," Law replied. "Mind if I join you?"

"Shishish, nope," I replied and a few moments later the curtain shifted as Law came in. 

"Damn, that's hot," Law muttered. 

"I'm not changing the water," I stated, starting to lather shampoo through my hair. 

"I wasn't talking about the water," Law ran his hands through my hair taking over the scrubbing department. 

"What were you talking about then?"

"What do you think?" His fingers scrubbing the soap into my hair felt amazing. "Turn." I did as Law requested, and turned to face him, the hot water now pouring down my back, that felt almost as good as Law's hands. "Head back." I tilted my head back into the water, ah and there were Torao's fingers in my hair again. One moment Law was rinsing out my hair, the next his lips were brushing against my neck. The action was brief and only lasted a moment. 

"Conditioner?" Law asked. I passed it to him. Law ran the goop through my hair, again the feeling was amazing, I couldn't help the humming noise I made in response. Law gently tilted my head back into the water, still running his hand through my wet hair. Damn, how come it feels so nice when he does it? When Law was done he stepped past me and grabbed body wash and a loofa. 

Law stared at my chest, kissing the scar and running the bubbly loofa over it, some parts of the scar were still a little sensitive. Then he moved to my stomach, kissing right above my belly button, then even lower, kissing my hip, and down my legs, stopping at the cast. Law stood and ran the loofa over my arms. 

"Turn," I did as he asked. Law kissed the back of my neck before soaping up my back, then down and to my legs again. I rinsed off in the nice hot water. 

"Your turn," I told Law, reaching for the shampoo again and trading him places. 

"Can you even reach?" Law teased. 

"I'm not that short!" I argued. 

"You hardly come up to my shoulders."

"I can still reach your hair," I stood on my toes, the one usable set of toes I had, to run my soapy hand through his hair. "See?" I slipped. Law caught me with his arm around me. 

"I'd rather you not hurt yourself," Law said. Law finished washing his own hair, much to my disappointment. He did let me wash his body though, I traced the lines of his tattoos they were so cool! There was a big heart on his chest that had a face where the heart dipped in, there were also hearts on both his shoulders, then circles on his forearms and the back of his hands. And the tattoo on his back. I love Torao's tattoos. 

"Neh, Torao what made you get these tattoos?" I asked. 

"A number of things," he responded. "The hearts are because of someone who died a while ago, his nickname was Corazon.

"The circles just went well with the hearts." 

"And the ones on your fingers?" I held one of his hands, running my thumb over the letters printed there. 

"Those I got to spite Cora," Law smiled as he spoke. "Fai-ya and I were talking about the tattoo's we'd get when we were older, Cora overheard us and said if we ever got tattoo's he'd disown us. I called him a liar, two days later I found a guy who needed someone to practice on." 

"Shishi, what about the one your back?" 

"It's a jolly roger."

"What? Like pirates?" I looked up at him surprised. What did Law have to do with pirates!? There weren't even pirates on the ocean anymore!

"Yeah." 

"Why?" 

"It's kind of a dumb story," Law rubbed the back of his neck. 

"I don't care," I said. Law sighed. 

"In school one of my teachers made us do a project on our ancestry, we had to go by what we could find online from our last name, mine was connected to pirates. As a joke, Fai drew a jolly roger for me and told me if I failed at becoming a doctor I could make my ancestors proud and reclaim the pirate title," Law explained. I started laughing. 

"Hey, I told you it was a dumb story, you don't have to laugh at me," Law retorted, he sounded a little annoyed. 

"It's not dumb," I said, trying to control my laughter. "That's adorable!" 

Law blushed. I couldn't control my laughter, I was running out of air. 

"You little shit," Law muttered, he changed the water, grabbed me, and pulled me under the water. It was cold! I jumped. 

"Torao!" The movement caused us both to slip, Law and I fell towards the curtain, crashing with loud noises onto the bathroom floor. 

"Are you guys okay in there?" Fai asked through the door. Law looked at me before responding. 

"Yeah," Law replied, rubbing the back of his head. I had fallen on top of Law, the curtain was tangled around us, the shower still going. We had made a mess. Law and I detangle ourselves from each other and the curtain. Law turned off the water and I got us both towels from the cabinet next to the sink. I wrapped the towel around my waist. Law did the same before putting the curtain and the rod back up. 

Law got another towel and cleaned up the water that covered the floor. Once that was done I took off the grocery bags that were covering my cast. It was all dry. 

"You okay?" Law asked. 

"Yup!" I replied. Law got another towel and dried my dripping wet hair. He used the same towel to dry off his hair too. Law went to his room to find clean clothes. The clothes I had brought into the bathroom with me were somehow spared from the mess.


	33. Calm

_**♡Law♡** _

"Torao," Luffy's voice was extremely distracting. As if him straddling my torso wasn't enough. All I wanted to do was finish the damned book, I only had about 20 pages left. Luffy somehow managed to physically get between me and my book now. He started kissing my neck. I wasn't sure which was more distracting, Luffy drawing out the nickname he had given me or his wet lips and hot breath against my skin. Yep, that was most definitely Luffy's tongue I felt brush against my neck. Why did he need my attention right now? 

"I'm trying to read," I told him for probably the third time.

"Mhm," The vibration of Luffy's hum was unmatched, it sent goosebumps crawling over my skin. I returned my attention to the book. So close to being done... And now Luffy had taken to tracing over my sides with his fingertips. Of all the things he had to pick up from me, it had to be that? Now there was biting involved, okay. This had to stop.

"Luffy-ya just let me finish this." 

"Can't it wait?" 

"Can't you?" I asked. Luffy removed his lips from my neck. He shifted on top of me. 

"But you've got tons left to read!" Luffy complained. "It's gunna take forever." 

"I have about 20 pages, that's hardly anything," I informed him.

"Torao," There Luffy went again, drawing out my name, almost like a moan. Again, his lips were on my neck teeth, tongue, and all. I gave up on reading my book, It would have to wait. I closed book, with the bookmark nestled between the pages. Luffy didn't even notice I had stopped. I set the book down on the nightstand. Luffy bit a little harder than I had expected, and the moan that left my mouth surprised us both. 

"I didn't know you were kinky," Luffy muttered. Okay, that's it, the little shit. I grabbed Luffy's arms and flipped us over, pinning Luffy to the mattress. 

"All I wanted was to finish my book," I muttered before kissing Luffy harshly. Luffy broke free of my grip and hooked his arms around my neck. 

"All I wanted was your attention," Luffy smiled, pushing up my shirt and pulling it over my head before wrapping his arms around my neck again. 

"At least one of us got what we wanted." I kissed Luffy again. "However, if sex is what you're looking for, it's not happening."

"Eh? Why not?" Luffy asked with a small pout. 

"Because Fai is here and I'm not going to put her in an awkward position or force her to leave." I retorted. 

"There are walls, and a door, which locks!" Luffy stated, his fingers tracing down my chest and over my tattoos. 

"And you're loud," I reminded him. 

"But Fai isn't even here!"

"Where is she?" 

"She went back to Dressrosa to get some of her stuff." 

"What?" I asked, getting off of Luffy and looking for my phone. Nightstand? No. 

"How long has she been gone?" I shouted, across the house. I checked the coffee table, not there.

"An hour or two," Luffy answered, coming out of our bedroom. Then the kitchen, okay not there either, what the hell? The bathroom, nope. The TV stand? I looked there and behind the TV and the shelf. Where was it? 

"Torao," Luffy drew out my name again, I really needed him to not do that right now. 

"Have you seen my phone?" I asked. Luffy was silent for a moment.

"No, you wanna use mine?" Luffy suggested. I nodded, Luffy dug into his pocket and pulled out the phone Nami had given him in Thriller Bark. I took the phone and called Fai, Luffy didn't have her number, but her's was a number I had taken to memorizing. There was no answer, okay so Fai wouldn't answer a number she didn't know, it probably had a weird area code too. I called my phone. It was ringing but I couldn't hear it in the house. 

"Hey, Law," Fai answered. 

"Fai?" I questioned, "why did you take my phone?"

"I don't have mine," she replied, there was shouting in the background. 

"Why didn't you tell me you were going back there? I would have gone with you," 

"Yep, then Luffy would have wanted to come, and then a number of things could have happened, the others taking him hostage again, Luffy figuring out that you had a connection to someone that killed that Ace guy," 

"Luffy-ya already knows that Thatch-ya told him in Thriller Bark, you were there."

"Luffy doesn't know your connection to Cora. Anyway, too much unpredictable collateral damage, you need to be the one to tell Luffy that." 

"They'd do the same thing to you in a heartbeat," I pointed out.

"That's true, but at least it's not Luffy. Law, if you would have seen him in that room... He was miserable. He stopped eating, I know I'd rather be down there than see Luffy like that again." 

"Besides, after Thriller Bark Thatch went back to Dressrosa, he says the place is pretty much abandoned, only a few cops are guarding the front." 

"It makes sense, Doflamingo was clearly on the run, he got uncomfortable even hearing police sirens. That does defeat your kidnapping point though Do you know anything about the rest of them?"

"Vergo and Trebol are on the run too, Dellinger Jora, Loa, Diamante, and Buffalo were arrested. Machvise and Senior Pink are dead." 

"What about Violet and Koala?" 

"Violet was excused for everything because she exposed Doflamingo, I don't know about the other one, Thatch said she disappeared right after her speech in front of the press." Luffy had moved to the couch, sitting down, his crutches resting on the arm of the couch, he was watching me with curiosity. 

"Huh, and anything on the government's reaction?" Luffy frowned at this. 

"Not a clue, I just know what Thatch told me, and I've grown to trust him, so there's that,"

"Okay, just be careful," I sighed. 

"I always am," Fai said, the phone went silent. 

"They set a bounty on Koala, Thatch, and Violet," Luffy said as I gave the phone back to him. 

"What?"

"The government, they set a bounty on them," Luffy clarified. It was my turn to frown. 

"How do you know that?" I asked. 

"Zoro, he's an assassin for the government," Luffy said it so casually I blinked, taking in the information for a moment. What? How did that even work? Then the full situation hit me, how was Luffy okay with one of his friends killing people? Then again I was okay with Corazon doing the same thing. 

"Say that again," I couldn't seem to wrap my head around the thought. 

"Zoro's an assassin for the government," Luffy repeated, I met his big brown eyes. 

"You've waited until now to tell me this?" It was the only response I could sum up. What would I have done with the information earlier though?

"I didn't think it mattered," Luffy said honestly. I had nothing to say to that, when could he have told me that anyway? 

"Is that," I paused, the thought had come to me so suddenly I spoke before I even developed a question. "Is that why the government wasn't looking for you after Impel Down?"

"Yeah," Luffy confirmed. That's a time he could have brought it up. Thoughts of Corazon came to mind, and what Fai had told me. I should be the one to tell him. How would he react to that though? Did it really matter?

"Luffy-ya." His name left my lips without permission. Now was hardly an appropriate time to inform him. I sat down on the couch next to him. I wasn't sure where to start, the fact that, the man in the clown make up, who had not only killed Luffy's childhood friend, but also his first love was my uncle or that my uncle was the one who killed his dead boyfriend. Could that even be called an ex? 

"Torao?" I had only said his name and nothing else, he must have been confused. 

"Do you remember when I told you about my uncle Cora?" I started, Luffy shifted, pulling his feet onto the couch so h whole body was facing me. 

"Yep," Luffy smiled. I looked down, he'd hate me after this. The thought wasn't something that Law hadn't considered. If Luffy hated me I wasn't sure I could deal with that. Why did his smile have to be so trusting?

"He was the man in the clown make up in your hometown." There I had said it, my biggest secret. Luffy stared for a moment. 

"Oh." Was all he said, he crawled onto my lap, an action I had not expected. That was it? Luffy pressed his lips to mine, another action I hadn't expected. Luffy's lips were soft as ever and made a good distraction to everything around me. 

All I could think about was him, his arms resting on my shoulders, his soft, soft lips pressed against mine, the warm skin of his back underneath my fingertips and the soft little hairs they brushed over. Then Luffy's hands in my hair, lightly tugging at the locks of black. Was Luffy always this perfect? I traced my fingers up Luffy's spine, he moaned, then straightened his back and pulled away. His cheeks were tinted with pink. Luffy stared at me, eyes wide and jaw slightly hanging. Was that a turn on for him? 

"What's wrong, Lu?" I asked with a small smirk. Luffy went rigid. 

"Only Ace and Sabo have ever called me that," Luffy said quietly. There was that name again, Sabo. Sabo was clearly still alive so not one of his marks, who then? The thought of Ace or even Luffy's other marks didn't bother me nearly as much as this Sabo person did. 

"Do you want me to not call you that?" I asked.

"You can, it just surprised me," Luffy said. I leaned back against the couch. Luffy was staring at his own lap his short and messy hair was even messier than usual. He looked up at me as if the most important information had just come to him. 

"You still haven't signed my cast!" He said leaning forward, putting his weight into his hand, which were firmly planted on my thighs. 

"Go get a marker," I told him. "In the top drawer of my desk." Luffy grinned and moved to get off of me, putting his broken foot down first. He walked to our room, leaving the crutches behind. I cringed at the sight. It wasn't that Luffy couldn't walk on the cast, it was just the thought of him walking on a broken foot was unsettling. Luffy returned with a black sharpie and sat on the couch next to me, swinging his casted foot onto my lap. He handed me the marker. I stared at the empty red cast for a moment or two. 

"Where should I sign it?" I looked up at Luffy who was eagerly leaning forward to see what I'd write. 

"Somewhere easy to see," he replied. I put the tip of the market to the cast, debating if I should sign it "Torao" or "Trafalgar Law." Luffy leaned forward, close enough to see what I was writing. 

"Mind your own business, you can read it when I'm done," I said pushing him back to his side of the couch. I signed the cast, careful to hide it as I did so. I finished with a line underneath "Torao" in cursive letters. "All done," Luffy pulled his foot up close to his face, his flexibility was astounding. 

"That's it?" Luffy asked. 

"You asked me to sign it," I stated, poking the space between Luffy's eyes with the butt of the marker. "So I signed it." Luffy took the marker from me put the tip to the cast.

"Hey, you can't just sign it for me," I argued. 

"I'm not, I'm decorating my cast," Luffy said with a smug grin. "Ta-da!" Luffy's foot returned to my lap. There were hearts floating around my name now. 

"That's embarrassing," I muttered. 

"I don't care, I love it," Luffy declared with a grin he leaned forward and pressed his lips to my cheek. 

"Are you good now? Can I go back to reading my book?" 

"No!" Luffy shouted, returning to my lap and smashing our lips together with far more force than necessary. Little shit. Luffy's attention didn't stay on my lips for long, he moved down to my neck his hot tongue brushing over my skin.

God damn. My hands found themselves back underneath Luffy shirt. I ran my fingertips up Luffy's spine again, and again he moaned. He bit down on my skin, causing me to let out a moan. Luffy pressed our lips together again, biting on my bottom lip, and my tongue was in his mouth, Luffy moaned. I turned, holding onto Luffy, laying him underneath me on the couch. His hands traveled up and down my back, leaving goosebumps in their wake. I slipped one hand underneath his shirt, dragging my fingertips across his skin. Luffy pulled away breaking into a fit of laughter. 

"That tickles," Luffy gasped, his laugh was infectious and I couldn't help but grin at him. 

"What does?" I asked, repeating the motion, Luffy laughed harder. 

"That!" Luffy wrapped his arms around his stomach. "Stop it!" 

"Stop what?" I asked, doing it again. Luffy continued laughing. 

"You ass!" Luffy gasped as I continued to tickle him in the same manner. Finally, I stopped, seeing as Luffy was starting to change colors due to the lack of oxygen. I sat up, allowing Luffy to do the same, he was breathing heavy. "Jerk," Luffy stuck his tongue out. 

"Your laugh is too cute, what was I supposed to do?" I rested one arm on the back of the couch, tilting my head at Luffy's blush. 

"Oh my god, that was so fucking cheesy," Sachi hissed. When the hell did he get here? And how the fuck did he get into my house? Did Fai leave the door unlocked? 

"How d-" 

"The door was unlocked," Sachi answered. _Fai_. 

"What do you want?" 

"I just came to see if you were back in town yet, I tried calling you, Bepo too," Sachi explained, planting himself into my chair. "Bepo got worried so I told him I'd stop by after my shift, so here I am." 

"Oh," right. I had nearly forgotten about all that business with Doflamingo. 

"Woah, cool cast Luf, can I sign it?" 

"Sure," Luffy said with a smile, he looked around the couch for a moment. "Where'd the marker go?" 

"It's probably in the couch," I said reaching between the cushions next to me, then leaning over Luffy and doing the same, successfully fishing the marker from the hellish depths of the couch. I gave it to Luffy. Sachi leaned forward as Luffy propped his foot up on the coffee table and handed the Marker to Satchi. Sachi broke out into laughter. 

"Nice signature Torao," Sachi snickered. I glared at Luffy from the corner of my eye.

"Don't call me that," I stated, turning my gaze to Satchi as he signed Luffy's cast.

"Luffy your boyfriend is being a grumpy old man again," Sachi said without looking up from the cast. He closed the marker and tossed it to Luffy, Luffy pulled his foot close to his face as he had before. Luffy smiled. 

"Anyway, I'm exhausted, I just came to make sure you were alive," Satchi stood up, walking behind the couch as he headed to the door. "See ya tomorrow, boss." The door clicked shut. 

"Awe, you have to work tomorrow?" Luffy asked I nodded. 

"Will you be gone all day?" 

"Probably." 

"That's not fair!" Luffy protested he leaned forward. " I've hardly seen you all week."

"What will you do when you spend months traveling?" I asked him, amused by his clinginess. 

"Then I'll have things to do," Luffy pointed out, and there it was, he was bored here. I knew he'd get bored in Flevance quickly, but hearing him admit it it was like a hammer in my chest, even if he hadn't said it directly. Maybe Luffy didn't realize yet. 

"Fai will be back by then." At least she should be. "You two can go out and do something fun, maybe go back to the boardwalk," I suggested. Luffy sighed.

I woke early the next morning. Luffy was asleep next to me, as adorable as ever. I forced myself out of bed and got ready for work, shower, breakfast, coffee, and everything in between. On the short drive there I noticed fliers in shop windows since I had been driving I didn't get to read them, but there was a huge banner stretched over the main road a few buildings before the hospital. The end of summer carnival. Was it really the end of summer already? 

Hadn't it just started? Though reflecting on it, there had been a ton going on this summer, and meeting Luffy was the start of it. The week he had been here, the month he spent in Dressorosa followed by the weeks he had stayed with me, along with the week we spent at Doflamingo's.

The end of August was here. 

Luffy would love the carnival though. I'll take him to it, as a date. He'll find out about it for sure, probably ask to go too. I pulled into a parking space. Now the question is, should I try to surprise him? I headed inside, still not sure what to do with the matter. I entered the building to find Dr. Kureha at the front desk, talking to a nurse at the front desk. The old woman noticed me as soon as I walked in the door. 

"Good Morning Law," She said. 

"Morning," I replied courteously. She followed behind me. 

"Trafalgar, you aren't looking too great you sure you don't need more time off?" Hadn't she been the one to scold me for asking for such a large amount of time from work just a week ago?

"No, I'm fine," I replied. 

"You sure?" Did I really look that bad? Well, it was morning and I had left my warm bed, which had my boyfriend in it, for this. 

"Yes," I stated. 

"Alright then," she said, patting my shoulder as she continued down the hall while I turned into another. A short while later I found myself in my office, going over what I had missed the past week. There had been three surgeries while I was gone, one of which I had scheduled. Another which the patient died during the surgery. Since I was the fucking head of the damned department I had to deal with the collateral. There were two teams of surgeons here, two was all Flevance needed after all. And Crocus's team fucked up and now I had to go question him about it because I wasn't fucking here.

After I had questioned Crocus about that Bepo arrived, he was more than glad to see me, Satchi, Penguin, and Jean Bart showed up too, as they were supposed to. There was an edge to their presence though, like they were all waiting to say something but they expected someone else to say it first. What the hell? Today was particularly slow, there was only paperwork to do. Which meant I could go home sooner than I expected. Still, awkwardness not only created a tension between the five of us but was also maddening to work in. 

"What the hell is going on?" I finally asked once we had all had downtime and were in the same space. 

"What?" Jean Bart asked, glancing between the other three. 

"I'm not an idiot, what the hell happened while I was gone, none of you will look each other in the eye and when you do it's because you know I'm paying attention to you." I pointed out.

"None of you have talked to each other unless it has to do with work." Bepo went paler than usual, glancing back at the other three. 

"The Strawhats came here looking for you," Bepo finally said. 

"And?" 

"They were worried about Luffy and said you had been ignoring them and Luffy never met them," Satchi explained. 

"We know you went to Doflamingo's," Bepo said. I tensed, I had never intended to hide my connection to him from them but I never outwardly spoke about it. Each of them knew how I felt towards my only living uncle, but only Bepo knew who it was, and now they all did. 

"And why is that any reason for the ridiculous tension?" I asked, definitely trying to avoid them drawing the connection to Luffy. 

"Did he do something to Luffy? Is that why his foot is broken?" Sachi asked. of course, they'd draw the connection, they weren't morons. 

"Yes, to both of those questions," I replied, I won't hide anything from them, they were people I claimed to be my friends after all. "Someone working for Joker shot Luffy-ya's foot," I said before they asked. I cringed at my use of the epithet. 

"Holy shit," Penguin muttered. 

"Joker?" Bepo asked, "Doflamingo has a connection with Joker?" 

"Doflamingo is Joker." Silence fell between us. At least the unsufferable awkwardness was gone. The tension was still there, sure it had shifted, but it was there. Jean Bart plopped into a chair, staring at the ground. Bepo ran a hand through his hair. 

"Why?" Penguin asked.

"He's wanted me to help run his business since I was a kid, he finally got an excuse." I shook my head. There was a lot of things I didn't want to bother explaining. One of which was how Luffy or I had been treated and certainly not Luffy's connection to a Revolutionary, a connection which I was confused about. There was also the ordeal of Zoro. It was all too complicated. "He wants me to take over in his place. He used Luffy-ya to get me over there and keep me there. We left the first chance we got." 

"You were able to leave because of the Revolutionary weren't you?" Jean Bart asked. "And that woman who helped expose Doflamingo as Joker?" I nodded.

"You knew about that?" Penguin asked. 

"It was on the news, I'm surprised you didn't know he was Joker." They didn't seem to connect the two events together. 

"Does that solve the matter? We should be working," I said, closing off the conversation. That was the end of that mess.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edited Aug. 31, 2019


	34. Jimbei

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the last chapter I'll make fixes to in terms the actual events of the story! ~~unless a later part contradicts what I changed!~~   
> From here on its just formatting/ grammar fixes!

_**《Zoro》** _

"Hurry up, this stuff is heavy," Usopp complained while I was trying to unlock the door to our hotel room. The room was lit up before we had even stepped in. There the edge of one of the beds was Kaku, he was twirling a knife in his hand, the blade pointed upwards, the handle in his palm. I had a few guesses as to why he was here.

"Hello, Roronoa," Kaku said as Sanji and Usopp set their stuff down, not giving a shit about the man sitting in their hotel room. This is what I get for keeping that damned phone on me. As soon as they set the stuff down Sanji grabbed Usopp by the collar of his shirt and pulled him out the door, closing is behind him.

"Kaku," I said. 

"You've been ignoring the government again," Kaku pointed out. Like that wasn't obvious.

"You've noticed?" I retorted. Kaku sighed.

"I recall the mess that happened last time you tried this, one of your friends was killed." Kaku mused. "Left Strawhat with a scar if I'm correct." I tensed at the mention of that. That was something Only Sanji, Nami, and Usopp knew about, and they didn't know the full extent of that either. 

"Congratulations," I muttered Kaku put the knife away. 

"Report," he demanded. He was hardly in a position to order me around, though there wasn't really any reason not to tell him my intentions. 

"I'm not doing the job," I stated, staring at Kaku and with contempt.

"That's a stupid decision," Kaku said. 

"It seems everything I've done is an accumulation of stupid decisions, so that's not new." Kaku said nothing in response to that. 

"I knew you weren't cut out for this line of work," Kaku muttered. He said the words as if he had been there when I was picked, but I knew we had started at the same time, just kids. He stood, heading towards me or the door, it was the same direction either way.

"I was supposed to kill you if you opposed orders," He said once he reached me. Kaku patted my shoulder. "We both know I can't do that." 

"What will you do then, you'll be in the same boat as me."

"Easy, you lied to me, said you were having trouble catching up with any of them, Thatch is a slippery one, Violet is under the eye of the public, and Koala's marked as near impossible," Kaku stated, turning for the door. "Of all the things Roronoa Zoro would do, lying is not one of them. I won't help you after this though. Get rid of that phone and watch what money your spending, Nami's being watched." I nodded. He had no reason to do this, he could change his mind right now and kill me.

"Keep an eye on the news too, they have a lot on you and Strawhat, especially with the whole terrorist thing." Kaku left the room. Sanji came back in.

"What was that about?" He asked, snaking his arms around me. 

"The government sent him to kill me," I said, Sanji went stiff.

"Why didn't he?" He asked quietly.

"We aren't friends, but we grew up together, in that place," I stated. Sanji nodded, his face pressed to my back. 

"Where's Usopp?" I asked.

"Still talking to Nami and Robin," Sanji replied, sliding his hand to my hips and turning me to face him. 

"You told Nami Kaku was here?" I asked I wrapped one arm around him and used my free hand to tilt his chin up to me. Sanji wasn't all that much shorter, an inch or two, so the action wasn't necessary, however, his bangs fell from his face and revealed part of his mismatched eyebrow. 

"No, they were talking about a dance thing," Sanji said, glancing at my lips. I pressed my lips to his. He tasted faintly of cigarets, something I recalled hating. There was a light knock on our door, we stopped kissing but still stood close as Nami poked her head into the door.

"Hey, we're going to practice some new moves Robin came up with, Brook has a new set for us too," Nami said. 

"We'll be right there," Sanji promised. Nami nodded, leaving the door slightly open as she left. Sanji and I kissed once more before heading over to the others. 

After the eight of us had either gotten too tired or too distracted my Chopper attempting to mimic us, Robin called it a day. Franky had gone back to his room, he was working on a light system that way we could do a show at night. That would, of course, wait until Luffy was back.

Usopp said there should definitely be a fog machine in that as well. Brook was still working on the transitions in his set, Robin still was refining steps, Sanji was going over supplies so he could set up his stand tomorrow, and Nami was tallying up the money they had spent that day as well as putting some away to send to Luffy. I went out of the hotel, exploring Water 7. The sun had long since set, and Water 7 was still as busy as ever. Teens wondered the streets in groups, farmers market stands still stood open and selling, crowds of people shuffled around, granted it was considerably smaller crowds from the daytime. Posters and banners hung everywhere for the end of summer events. We'll be heading south soon, no doubt near Alabasta. Vivi would be excited to see us all again.

I passed a stand where a man was trying to sell a group of girls jewelry when I noticed a hooded figure following me. Well, I wasn't sure, but I was pretty confident in the assumption.   
I took a left turn, maybe it was right, the hooded man followed me, another turn in the same direction.

He was following me, I took a right, so did the figure. I didn't have any weapons on me, I should start carrying a pocket knife at least. I was running into situations like this too often nowadays. I went into an alley, the figure had fallen behind enough to give me time to hide behind a dumpster as they walked down the alley. The figure was a man, on the heavy side. 

"Shit," the figure cursed, pulling down his hood. His features were difficult to make out in the dark alley but I knew who it was. 

"Jimbei?" I asked, standing from my hiding spot. Jimbei's eyes widened in surprise. 

"I thought I lost you," Jimbei noted. 

"Why were you following me? Actually, why aren't you in prison, or dead?" I asked I had far too many questions. 

"I suspect I was going to be hung, they imprisoned me on the base for a while," Jimbei explained, glancing back at the street full of people. "Aokiji and a kid called Hepelmo helped me get out." Hepelmo, how was he doing? I wondered. It's been a few years since we last had a run in with the guy. Though I doubt I really wanted to see him again, he reminded me of Koby.

"As for why I was following you, I'm looking for Luffy, I'd like to talk to him about joining you guys." Wow, that came out of nowhere. 

"Really?" I didn't think a man like Jimbei would be into the whole dancing spotlight scene but here we were. Jimbei nodded.

"Well, Luffy's not with us," I informed him. Jimbei wore a look of confusion. "Hungry? Let's go find something to eat, on me." I stepped past Jimbei in the direction we had come from. 

Jimbei and I wandered around for about an hour before we found a food stand, similar to the one Sanji would run when he wasn't dancing. We got food and found a place to sit and eat, this was when I called Luffy.

"Hi, Zoro!" Luffy said cheerfully, he sounded happier than when I had last seen him in Thriller Bark just a few days ago. 

"Hey, Luf," I greeted, There was shouting on Luffy's side, then a sharp scream, that was all in the background though. He was at some sort of amusement park. "You got a minute?" 

"Um, yeah, It's hard to hear you, hang on." There was some shuffling and the noise got more distant. "That's better, what's up?" 

"I found Jimbei," I said, I hadn't told Luffy about the whole endeavor from earlier when I handed Jimbei over to the government. 

"Really!?"Luffy's excitement showed in his voice. "How is he? Why did he just leave?" 

"Why don't you ask him yourself?" I put the phone on speaker and set it on the table. 

"Jimbei's with you?" He asked I could hear that stupid grin of his. 

"Good Evening, Luffy," Jimbei said.

"Hi!" Luffy cheered "Hey, why did you just leave the beach like that?" 

"It's... complicated, I'll tell you more about it later," Jimbei said. 

"Okay," Luffy said. 

"There's something I'd like to ask you though," Jimbei leaned forward, leaning his arms on the table. 

"What is it?" I could imagine the look of curiosity passing over Luffy's face as he cocked his head to the side, waiting for Jimbei's response.

"I would like to join the Strawhats, if that's okay with you," Jimbei stated. 

"Really? You can dance?" Luffy was flooded with excitement. 

"I can learn." 

"Awesome! Of course! Welcome to the crew Jimbei!" Luffy said. "I can't wait to see you guys again!" Jimbei grinned, pleased with the outcome of his conversation with Luffy. 

"Luffy!" A woman's voice called, it was distant and barely noticeable through the phone.

"Oh, that's Fai, I gotta go! Tell everyone I said 'hi,' Zoro." Luffy stated.

"See ya, Luf," I said as the phone went silent, the screen lit up, letting me know the call had ended. And just like that, the total number of Strawhats reached 10. 

"This'll be a surprise, you've got good timing, Robin just started working on some new steps." Though considering everything else that was going on his timing really wasn't all that great.

None of that we'd have to deal with for at least a little while though. 

On the way back to the hotel I was sure to shut off the government phone and toss it into a water channel, I'd take the warnings Kaku had given me and tell Nami to put all of the money in Usopp or Brook's name, someone the government won't be paying much attention to. They'd obviously keep watch on Luffy, Nami because she's handling our money, Franky due to his past connections with the black market, Sanji because they knew he was close to me, Robin because she had caused some trouble of her own far before she knew any of us, and me because, well, I was disobeying them. 

There was especially loud noise coming from the room I shared with Usopp and Sanji. I opened the door to see several pizza boxes, and everyone spread out across the room, watching TV. Judging from the amount of missing Pizza and the conversations around the room they were in between movies. 

"Hey guys," I said stepping in with Jimbei right behind me. 

"That's the guy from before," Usopp needlessly observed. 

"Jimbei is officially a member of the Strawhats," I announced. That got me more than a few surprised stares. 

"You talked to Luffy?" Nami asked. 

"I did," Jimbei confirmed. Usopp grinned.

"Well, then find a place to sit, grab a slice of pizza and get comfy, it's movie night!" Chopper barked in agreement. I found my place, sitting next to Sanji, he leaned against my shoulder as Franky and Usopp argued over which Marvel movie should be watched first, Thor Ragnarock or Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 in order to perfectly understand Infinity War. 

"How about we don't watch any Marvel movies because you two always get into arguments like this," Nami said, picking up the stack of rented movies. She filled through them, turning to Robin.

"Zombieland or How to Train Your Dragon 2?" Nami asked, holding up the two DVDs. 

"I think I'm in the mood for Zombieland," Robin said, lightly dragging her fingers from Franky's knee to about mid-thigh. 

"Perfect, any problems?" Nami asked, looking around at the rest of us, no one said anything. 

"Zombies it is, and Usopp bought twinkies so you have at it," Nami turned to the bag behind her. and tossed twinkies to everyone on the room. We just couldn't watch Zombieland without twinkies. Unlike our usual movie nights, we all actually ended up in our own rooms and bed, with a Jimbei sharing a bed with Usopp since we had gotten two rooms and there were already four people in the other room. 

The next morning I woke with Sanji in my arms, his back pressed to my chest. In the bed next to ours there was only Usopp, Chopper was in a ball at my feet and Jimbei was nowhere to be seen. Sanji shifted, rolling over to face me, he was still sound asleep as he did this. He wrapped an arm around me and scooted closer. 

"Rei...ju.." He muttered it came out as a sigh. I frowned. His sister? Sanji hugged me tighter, burying his face into my shirt. 

"Yonji," that name was uttered with a certain bitterness. 

"Sanji," I said, trying to wake him from whatever dream he was having if it involved his family it couldn't be good. 

Sanji shook his head but didn't wake. 

"No!" Sanji clung onto me even tighter. "Don't!" The last word left Sanji as he bolted upright and jumped away from me and nearly fell off the bed. Sanji looked around and ran a hand through his hair.

"You okay?" I asked, sitting up and taking his hand. Sanji took a deep breath. 

"Yeah, just... bad dream..." Sanji stared down at the sheets in silence with a frown. "What time is it?" There was an alarm clock sitting on the table between the two beds. 

"5 am." Sanji let out a long, drawn-out yawn, he let his feet hit the floor and stood. 

"I don't think I'll be sleeping again anytime soon," Sanji decided, letting his feet hit the floor, he stood and went to his suitcase. He went into the bathroom to change and came out a good fifteen minutes later with his hair combed, wearing a suit and tie. Whatever reason he had for always dressing like he was going somewhere fancy was beyond me but he did look hot as fuck in them. 

"I'm going to go look around town, we didn't do much of that the last time we were here," Sanji said, pulling on his shoes. "Wanna come with?" 

"I guess," I agreed with a yawn, dragging myself out of bed and changing into clean clothes. We left the hotel and went into the city. Turns out 5 am is when a vast majority of people like to sleep because it was a complete ghost town. 

Sanji lit a cigarette and walked ahead of me, the wind blew from behind us, pushing the smoke ahead. Sanji was quiet, he didn't comment on the colors that were slowly fading from the sky or the water being so calm we could see the reflection of the buildings and sky as clearly as a mirror. I pushed myself to walk faster, matching paces with Sanji, he stared at his feet as he walked. He hadn't noticed me walking right next to him yet. 

"Must've been some dream, huh?" I asked, I just wanted to hear him speak, sure Sanji wasn't talkative but he was never this quiet either. 

"I don't wanna talk about it," Sanji bit harshly. I hardly think that was necessary.

"That's fine," I replied, taking his hand in mine. Sanji pulled his hand away and stuffed his hands in his pockets. I frowned, hadn't he asked me if I wanted to go with him? I pushed my annoyance aside, something must be really wrong. 

"Are you alright?" I asked coming to a stop, Sanji stopped a few paces ahead of me and looked back. 

"I'm fine," He said, looking up at me.

"No, you're not," I scoffed shaking my head at him.

"Tch, whatever," Sanji muttered and continued walking with me trailing behind him for a good block or two before Sanji slowed down and walked next to me, still with his hands tucked into his pockets and not speaking. What could possibly be bothering him this much? The rest of our walk was in a tense silence. Neither I nor Sanji spoke after that. We made our way back to the hotel just as shops were starting to open and people were starting to fill the canals and sidewalks. 

Usopp was up and Jimbei was back from where ever he had gone off to, he and Usopp were playing with Chopper. 

"Yo, are the rest up?" I asked as Sanji and I walked in. 

"Dunno, I haven't left the room," Usopp shrugged as Chopper pounce onto Usopp's lap.

"Where'd you guys go off to?" 

"Just a walk," Sanji replied in monotone, walking over to the pile of our things we had created and pulled together all the stuff he needed for his food stand. He'd have to buy supplies in the market since we just got here. Usopp frowned, glancing over at Sanji. Sanji said nothing else as he gathered his things and left the room again 

"Did you guys get into another fight or something?" Usopp asked. 

"Not, exactly..." I muttered, staring at the door he had just walked through. Usopp only looked confused, but he didn't ask anymore. There was a knock at the door. 

"Are you guys up yet?" Nami called, pushing the unlocked door open and peaking in. "Oh good." She stepped into the room. 

"Where's Sanji?"

"He just left to set up," I replied. 

"Oh, I guess that fine," she paused. "You guys should be dancing today, Franky and you two will take up a couple hours, maybe if Franky had anything ready to go you guys can sell stuff," Nami explained. 

"What about Jimbei?" Usopp asked as Chopper barked to get his attention. 

"Me, Robin, and Brook are going to see if how well he can really dance," Nami said with a small smirk. Usopp broke into a laugh. 

"Good luck man, Robin is ruthless," Usopp said, patting Jimbei's shoulder.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edited Aug. 31, 2019


	35. Visits

**_♡Law♡_ **

I cringed as Luffy smacked his broken foot against my ceiling. He had dedicated the past week to try to figure out how to dance with crutches. It was not something one should attempt indoors. 

"Ouch!" Luffy yelped after falling on his ass for the fifteenth time this morning. Fai shook her head, leaning against the couch.

"Luffy you're going to break something else..." Fai muttered. 

"I've never broken anything before," Luffy retorted. 

"What that's then?" Fai joked. 

"I was shot in the foot!" Luffy said, attempting to swing himself through a handstand on the top of his crutches. It was a move that looked graceful, up until Luffy crashed to the floor at the end. Luffy tried again, he didn't crash this time, instead, he lifted one crutch while leaving all his weight on the other. I wanted to look away but forced myself to watch. Luffy actually landed it. 

"Woohoo!" Fai cheered. Jumping up from the couch and clapping. Luffy wore a huge grin, prideful of his success. 

"Great, let's go now," I said with a small smile. 

"You never said where we're going," Luffy said, slipping on his sandal and heading to the door. 

"And I'm still not going to," I replied, opening the door for him and Fai. We all piled into my car. 

"The carnival!" Luffy gasped childishly as I pulled into a parking spot. Luffy unbuckled and hugged me. 

"Car is still moving," I informed him, pushing Luffy off me. As soon as the car stopped Luffy jumped out. "Hang on, we're going to meet someone."

"Who?" Luffy turned and waited for Fai and me to get out of the car. 

"You'll see," I replied. 

"Law, you want me to carry your keys?" Fai said, pulling a tiny backpack to the top of the car. 

"I guess," I tossed the keys to her as I stepped onto the sidewalk. She put them in her bag, closed it and put it on her back. We stopped at a stand and bought bracelets that would let us onto any ride, free of charge. 

"Where are we meeting them?" Fai asked. 

"Near the Beachfront, at the taco truck," I answered. 

"Who are we meeting?" Luffy asked curiously. 

"It's a surprise," I said, I doubted Luffy heard me, his attention went to a roller coaster that went straight up then darted back down. I felt nauseous just looking at it. 

"Oh shit, I left something in the car, I'll be back," Fai power walked back the way we came.

"Want us to wait?" Luffy asked. 

"I'll catch up," Fai shouted. Luffy and I headed to the taco truck, he excitedly looked around at the many rides that had been set up. 

"Can't we just go on one?" Luffy pleaded as we found a table. 

"Just wait a minute," I told him. I made sure Luffy was sitting with his back to the direction my car was in and I sat across from him. Luffy continued to attempt to reason with me about getting on just one ride as I watched the path over his shoulder. I was no push-over, Luffy was out of luck. 

It wasn't long before Fai had come back, she had Thatch, Koala, and a man I could only assume was Sabo with her. Earlier in the week, Luffy had left the room when Sabo called and asked me to answer it. That's when I discovered Sabo was in fact, Luffy's older brother. Sabo wanted to check on Luffy after the fiasco that had happened with Doflamingo and Impel Down. It was only right that I suggested Sabo coming to visit. He and Koala were going to stay with me for a while, Thatch was just coming down for the day to go to the Carnival, that's what Fai had said anyway. Luffy was too distracted to notice them. 

"Torao, C'mon!" Luffy begged.

"Look behind you," I told him, they were only 20 feet or so away but there were people walking all over the place. Luffy twisted around in his seat and leaned forward ever so slightly. 

"Torao-"

"Sabo!" Luffy gasped, his crutches clattered against the pavement as Luffy got off the bench and broke into an awkward run. I cringed at that, picked up Luffy's crutches, and made my way to them. Luffy had pulled Sabo into a hug and released him.

"You must be Law," Sabo said with a grin and offering a handshake.

"I am, and you're Sabo?" I tried to keep my voice pleasant but not fake-sounding, I wanted to leave a good impression on this man, it was clear he and Luffy were close. And who knows what Sabo already thought of me from what Koala, no doubt, told him and everything that Luffy's been through.

"That's me," Sabo assured. "Luffy's talked about you a lot you know." 

"Not that much!" Luffy said with a light blush across his cheeks. Cute. 

"Oh really? You've talked about him every time I called all summer," Sabo said, grinning at Luffy. 

"You hardly called all summer!" Luffy argued, causing Fai and Koala to giggle at their conversation. Luffy's blush got darker. 

"You haven't had a phone," Sabo pointed out. 

"Sabo, you're embarrassing him," Koala said poking Sabo's side. 

"He's my baby brother, I've gotta embarrass him a little." 

"I'm not a baby," Luffy crossed his arms in a very child-like manner. 

"Uh, huh, we going to go get on some rides or what?" Sabo asked, stepping between Luffy and I and heading toward the nearest ride which just so happened to be the sudden drop rollercoaster. I should have expected as much...

"Yes!" Luffy said, he took the crutches I was still holding and rushed past Sabo to the ride. The rest of us followed, I took note of how close Fai walked next to Thatch. Luffy left his crutches along the fence surrounding the ride and got into a seat. 

I found myself sitting between Sabo and Luffy. The ride started and the only thing that kept us from falling to our death was a metal bar wrapped in foam. The ride paused at the top, giving us a moment, and only a moment before we plummeted to the ground. Someone screamed, I'm sure it was Fai or Koala but it was hard to tell because Luffy's shouts of joy were deafening.

Following that ride, we went on all kinds of other rides, even the ones that were always on the Beachfront all summer long. I made sure to save the Ferris wheel for last though, it always had the most amazing view as the sun was setting, though it wasn't nearly as colorful as the night I had brought Luffy. 

Luffy had settled against my side, my arm around his shoulders. Koala and Sabo in a similar position, Fai sat near me, twisted in her seat to watch the ocean, and Thatch sat next to Sabo, also admiring the view. 

"It's so pretty here," Koala said, it was the only time anyone had spoke the entire ride. 

"Yup!" Luffy agreed. "And you can see Torao's house from here look there." Luffy leaned over me and pointed out to the roof of my house which was just a short distance away. To be fair, you could see nearly the entire town from up here and the forest that backed up the town. 

"Oh look and right there is where Torao and I met," Luffy pointed out the open town square. 

"Really? How did you guys meet?" Koala asked. Oh, joy. 

"I was dancing with Robin and Brook over there and Torao walked into me in the middle of it," Luffy said with a huge grin. "He spilled hot coffee all over us." 

"You're more klutzy than Luffy," Sabo said with a laugh. 

"Hardly," I scoffed. Luffy only continued to smile. The ride was starting to take us down.

"Look that's the hotel we stayed at," Luffy said pointing out the tall building in the distance. It was probably the furthest from the beachfront, in that neighborhood is where Flevance had first been quarantined. It's also where the slaughter started...

"That part of town looks pretty old, like before the Amber Lead outbreak," Sabo observed. I nodded. "I thought everything was burned down." I did not want to talk about this. 

"Everything but that neighborhood," Fai jumped in, thank God. 

"Oh?" 

"The government had a base in a few of those houses and the hotel," Fai explained. "By the time they were killing people and burning homes the whole block right there, was empty." All but one house. Sabo nodded in understanding. He glanced over at me, maybe he noticed how uncomfortable I was with this conversation, or maybe that was all he was really curious about.

"Is the rest of the town only 13 years old then?" 

"Yeah," Fai answered, glancing at me. Finally, we had reached the bottom, we all got off, the sky was starting to lose color and darken.

"Okay, so we've gone on all the rides, now what?" Sabo asked, looking at me and Fai. "Our friendly natives must educate these dumb tourists," Sabo gestured to himself as he spoke. That got a few small laughs out of us and some passersby. 

"There's a light parade that will start as soon as it gets dark, they'll be fireworks too, we could go find a good place to watch," I suggested. 

"Sounds like a plan," Thatch agreed. Fai and I lead the group to the town square which was only a couple blocks away, there was already a stage being set up, roads were being blocked off. A block or two away I could see the lights from the floats going on and off. By the time we found a good bench to sit on crowds of people had gathered and lined up the sidewalks the parade was starting. 

It was filled with light, floats covered in lights, people covered in lights. A baton twirler playing with fire. Luffy was in awe of all of it. We could hardly see the people dancing but, the lights on them however moved. Music played from the stage that had been set up where Luffy and I had met only a few months ago, along with a woman announcing the floats as they came by. Fai loved it too, she had never been to the parade. I used to come every year when I was a kid. Luffy held onto my hand as we watched the floats go by, pointing out all the things he thought were cool, which was pretty much everything. The parade finished with a firework stand that both Luffy and Sabo loved. 

After the parade was over we made our way to my car. Most people parked on the opposite end of the Beachfront during the carnival but I had avoided that area altogether so it was easy to get to. 

"Hey Law," Fai said as we were passing the entrance to the actual Beachfront. I turned my attention to her. "I'm gunna stay for a bit more, meet up with some other friends ya know, all see you at home." Fai turned back with Thatch.

"Alright," I said, leading the way back to my car. 

"So Law, what else is there to do here?" Koala asked as the four of us were getting into my car.

"Um," I thought about it for a moment, there was the beach. "There's the beach, but Luffy-ya can't be on the sand with his cast." I pulled out of my parking spot and into the road. 

"Really?" Sabo asked, "You can't put a bag over it." You could, though it'd look stupid as fuck. But hey, it wasn't my foot.

"I don't wanna walk around with a bag on my foot, it's annoying enough to shower with a bag on," Luffy said, scrunching his nose in distaste as he twisted in his seat to look at Sabo. 

"I wanna go to the beach," Koala told Luffy.

"Yeah, Lu, me too." 

"Well, Fai can take you guys," Luffy declared, sitting properly in his seat and crossing his arms. I stopped at a stoplight, one of the three in town, and watched as disassembled floats passed by us. 

"Hey," Luffy jumped in his seat, Sabo must have done something, I was preoccupied with making sure I didn't crash. "I came here to hang out with my little brother and get to know his boyfriend," Sabo said I could see his grin in the rearview mirror. 

"Then don't go," Luffy stated with a grin of his own. The light turned green. 

"Okay, Law, there has to be something else to do here," Sabo insisted. 

"This town is a mile long, there's bowling, the woods and there's the beachfront, you've already met the whole town tonight," I stated. Sabo laughed.

"We could go hiking if it wasn't for you and your damned foot," Sabo said in an overdramatic tone. I was silently thanking Luffy's broken foot. We made it to my house, the entire thing was dark. Sabo and Koala got their stuff from the trunk. I let everyone inside and turned on the light.

"You can put your stuff in the room on the left," I said. It was the guest room that Fai was in the process of making into her own room. She agreed to sleep on the couch while they were here. She had a couple of boxes and bags in the corner but other than that she hadn't done much. 

"Awesome," Sabo said, he lead Koala into the room. Luffy spotted the marker that I had used to sign his cast days ago. 

"Sabo!" Luffy made his way to the room and disappeared into it. I pulled my wallet, keys, and phone from my pockets and set them on the kitchen counter, it was well past 11 and past my bedtime. 

I had to work in the morning, I should have planned this better. At least I had the rest of the time Sabo and Koala we spending here off work. They were only staying a few days. 

A burst of laughter came from the bedroom. I'm sure it was at the signature Luffy had decorated. I had a feeling I'd never live that down. I heard the three of them move to the living room while I got myself some water, the day was starting to catch up with me. I should probably be a good host and offer them something to drink or eat. I went into the living room, Luffy wad turned on the TV. 

"Hey, do you two want anything to eat or drink?" I asked.

"No, thank you," Koala replied with a smile.

"I'm good," Sabo added. 

"Alright, well, help yourselves if you want anything," I said, turning to head to my room.

"Torao, you're not going to watch a movie with us?" Luffy asked I could hear the disappointment in his voice. 

"I have to work in the morning," I reminded him.

"Oh, right," Luffy said. "Can't I have a goodnight kiss?" Luffy grinned. I sighed and leaned over the back of the couch, brushing my lips against his, the action felt very awkward with other people in the room.

"Shishishi, night, Torao," Luffy said as a pulled away. 

"Goodnight, Mugiwara," I said quietly, heading for my room. "Night Sabo-ya, Koala-ya."

"Night, Law," Koala called just as I closed the door. I changed into pajamas and went to sleep.   
I woke up both when Luffy came into the room and when Fai got back, well after Luffy had crawled into my bed might I add. 

The day was long and endless, and There was a long list of injuries caused during last night, one being a bottle rocket to the face. The dumbass who did that went blind in one eye. Other than that there was nothing noteworthy. I opened the front door, which was immediately followed by a thud coming from my kitchen, followed by the sound of breaking glass, then silence.

"Luffy-ya?" I called, dropping my things at the door and rushing into the kitchen. _Doflamingo._ The man stood over a floor of glass shards, the lights were all off down the entire all way, so no one must be here, that didn't calm my anxiety. Where was he? And what about Sabo, Koala, and Fai? There were four fucking people staying at my house and all of them were gone?

"Where's Luffy?" I asked. 

"Hell if I know," Doflamingo said, helping himself to another glass. Did he know Fai was staying here? I hate not knowing what he knows, and I hate him. Where the fuck was Luffy? I didn't need to ask why he was here. Fuck, there was still that bounty he put on Luffy. Doflamingo stepped over the glass and opened the fridge, pouring himself a glass of orange juice. 

"I'm not going back to Dressrosa," I said.

"Neither am I, not 'til I get what I want here," Doflamingo drained the glass and set it in the sink. He rolled his shoulder, cracking bones.

"You have no reason to be here," I glared at him. Doflamingo shrugged and walked past me, thanks for the broken glass. Doflamingo went into my living room, I followed, staying by the door. 

"Who was that girl that was with Strawhat?" He plopped himself onto my couch and kicked his feet onto the coffee table, with his shoes still on. "The bitch is my biggest problem, I can hardly get buyers anymore because of her."

"I'm not answering that," I said, Doflamingo looked over at me, just watching me. 

"Figured," he paused. There's a big underground meeting soon, you should come with me,"

"Tch, no." What was with him? How could he possibly think I would agree to that? _Unless he was buying time_. If Luffy wasn't home then he'd be back soon, it was already getting late he could come in any second. I leaned on the door, fuck what was I going to do? _Where's Luffy?_

"You'd make ton's of money, wouldn't have to stay in this tiny house," Doflamingo looked around in distaste. Fuck you, I could afford a bigger place if I wanted a bigger place. 

"I don't want dirty money," I bit, I could hear a car outside. My chest tightened, the car passed by. "Or anything to do with that business, you dragged me down that road once already." 

"So bitter," Doflamingo shook his head. My phone started to vibrate, I let it be, I didn't want to know who it was or what they wanted. "Even Corazon didn't mind getting his hands dirty for money." I bit my tongue, he was right. Corazon had even killed people to protect Joker's identity, but it was never for the money. 

"What are you even doing here?" I refused to look at him. My phone vibrated again, it was just text this time. Doflamingo was silent for a moment.

"Buying time while Vergo goes through Strawhat's things," Doflamingo said flatly. I glanced down the hall, Luffy's suitcase was in my room, there was no evidence that anyone was back there.

"What could Luffy-ya possibly have that you want?" I asked, trying to keep the irritation I felt from showing in my voice. 

"Not so much an object, as information," Doflamingo smiled, no doubt pleased by my confusion. My bedroom door swung open and Vergo came into the living room, holding a small stack of, where those photos?

"It's him, just like Trebol said," Vergo passed the pictures to Doflamingo. 

"Come, sit Law, take a look at the reason Roci's dead." 

"What?" I didn't expect the word to sound as angry as it did. Doflamingo removed his feet from my coffee table and leaned forward, shuffling through the pictures, I couldn't see any of them from where I stood. I didn't take a seat on the couch, instead, I stood behind Doflamingo and looked at the picture he was holding. It was a photo of three boys, Sabo and Luffy were two of them. Luffy couldn't have been older than 16 in the picture. The third was a dark-haired, freckled boy I didn't know the name of, he looked about the same age as Sabo, a little older than Luffy, but not by much. 

The three of them were smiling, the unnamed boy was the only one looking at the camera, he was the one holding it too, I could see the end of a mark at the edge of the picture. Was that... Ace? This isn't right, these were Luffy's personal pictures, Doflamingo shouldn't be anywhere near them. 

"What does this have to do with Cora?" I muttered, I suspected it, but I didn't want to know the answer for sure.

"These three were supposed to die on Roci's last trip," Doflamingo said casually, my stomach twisted. "Only one of them is dead." That was definitely Ace. Doflamingo set the picture on the coffee table. It was a picture of Sabo and Koala, a wedding picture, not a posed fancy one, it was candid, Sabo wore a steampunk style suit, dancing with Koala in a similarly styled dress, the two were only paying attention to each other. 

"Well, shit," Doflamingo grinned as he went to the next picture. It was just Luffy and Ace. Ace was kissing Luffy's cheek, Luffy had the biggest grin I had ever seen. A wave of emotions jumped at me at that moment, first, it was jealousy. Pure envy rooted in my gut, then it was pity. 

That man was dead, he and Luffy had obviously been happy together, and he was dead. Then there was something I couldn't explain, it had started with the thought that if it hadn't been for Ace being dead Luffy and I wouldn't be together. Then another picture, Nami, and a girl with blue hair They were laying in bed looking like they had just woken up. I took the pictures from Doflamingo. 

"That's enough, what the hell do you mean by that?" I asked.

"Who was it that was supplying for us on that little island?" Doflamingo asked Vergo.

"Marshall D. Teach," Vergo answered.

"Right, Teach ran into some problems with these three," Doflamingo started. "They were destroying supplies, letting loose cargo, the usual. I put a bounty on these two." Doflamingo took the picture that had been on the coffee table and pointed to Ace and Sabo. "Strawhat was too young, the other sellers would be on my ass if I tried to bounty him. So I didn't. I told Roci to make sure he ended up dead though."

"Trebol came back insisting Corazon had been the reason Strawhat and the other one got away," Vergo said when Doflamingo didn't continue.

"Yes, something about running through a village" Doflamingo confirmed. "That was when Roci started throwing off all kinds of jobs, and you know the rest." Doflamingo stood and gave me the picture. He and Vergo let themselves out. All they wanted was confirmation on something they already knew? 

That wasn't right. I set all the pictures on the table and sat on the couch. My stomach lurched. Everything was wrong. Reminders of Cora's dead body seemed to be everywhere. I needed out of this room. I briskly made my way to my bedroom, taking the pictures with me. I closed the door behind me. I could feel the ghost of my blood-soaked jacket sticking to my skin in the dead of winter. Fuck no this was not happening.

I set Luffy's photos on the bed. A firework went off in the distance, a kid playing with yesterday's leftovers not doubt but all it did was echo the sound of Doflamingo's gun when he pulled the trigger. _Stop._ That was over, it was gone, dealt with. It didn't matter that Cora deciding not to kill Luffy or Sabo was what drove Doflamingo to kill Cora, hell, I couldn't just blindly believe something like that. The smell of winter engulfed me. _No_ , what the fuck, it's summer. I can't fucking breath. 

"Stop!" I shouted as the front door opened, I paced back and forth in my room, sweat started to soak my shirt.

"Torao?" That was Luffy's voice coming from the living room, his footsteps got closer and I sat on the floor at the end of my bed, pulling my knees to my chest.

"Torao?" Luffy repeated. "Why are you on the floor?" Luffy closed the room door as he came in, the door's click mirrored that of an old wooden door slamming shut just after I was pushed into a random house by Corazon. The noise made me flinch.

 _"Where's Law?"_ Doflamingo's words echoed in the back of my mind, he was beyond pissed. _Fucking stop, please._

"Torao?" Luffy sat next to me and reached out to touch me, then a hand was covering my mouth and pulling me away from the old door. 

I flinched and smacked Luffy's hand away. I felt Luffy watching me but he might as well not even be there. 

"What's wrong?" Luffy scooted closer to me, his hip touching mine. Luffy watched me for a moment, he turned to face me. 

"Torao," Luffy said quietly, "don't do that." Luffy gently pulled my hands away, I had taken to pulling my hair into my fists. 

Good fucking god. Luffy's cast scrapped against the carpet and the sound of a table sliding against wood and crashing to the floor consumed my mind. The sound was so clear I could practically see it. 

Another fucking gunshot echoed through my brain. Luffy held onto my hand.

"Can you put your legs down?" Luffy asked. I did just that he crawled onto my lap. "You're crying." Luffy wiped a tear from my cheek, I couldn't even feel it. I could hardly feel him. Nothing in front of me seemed real anymore. 

Still, Luffy looked at me with his deep brown eyes filled with worry. I hugged Luffy, pulling him close to me and burying my face into his shoulder. His touch was like an anchor to reality.   
"Traffy, I don't understand," Luffy said, wrapping his arms around me.

"I know." The words came out choked and forced, speaking took far too much energy. 

"What's going on?" Luffy pulled away just enough to meet my eyes. I'm dealing with PTSD that came from an event that happened years ago. I couldn't make myself say it. I couldn't tell Luffy I was having PTSD flashbacks right now. Luffy patiently waited for my answer. Finally, I took a deep breath and leaned into Luffy, pressing my forehead to his collarbone.

"I have PTSD," I whispered, pulling the fabric of Luffy's shirt into my fists. "Flashbacks come and go... I haven't had these in a long time but after Dressrosa and..." I wasn't sure why I felt the need to keep speaking, I didn't even consider what I was saying. "And Doflamingo was here." I felt Luffy tense at that.

"Torao-"

"He broke in and went through your stuff," Luffy stayed quiet, so I kept talking. "He just, told me some things, stupid shit that doesn't matter anymore..." 

"Is that why my pictures are out?" Luffy asked curiously. I nodded and hugged Luffy tighter. I still felt like I was watching my life through a TV. Everything felt fake, the only thing that was real was Luffy, his arms around me, his warmth, just him. Luffy and I were quiet for a while, I could hear Fai and Sabo and Koala in the living room.

"The floor isn't very comfy you know," Luffy said quietly. That's true, though I didn't want to move, I especially didn't want to be away from Luffy. Still, Luffy stood, holding onto my hand, he only let go to pick up the pictures and set them on the bedside table. 

Luffy jumped onto the bed, becoming a good foot taller than me. He plopped onto his bottom, bouncing on the mattress. "C' mon, Torao," Luffy held his arms open. I joined Luffy on the bed, he leaned back against our pile of pillows, I laid on his chest, hugging him tightly. Luffy ran his hand through my hair. 

"What did you do all day?" I asked Luffy, mumbling into his shirt. 

"Fai took us to the beach and a seagull attacked Sabo," Luffy began, "Then we went to get ice cream and that took a really long time. We came back and watched movies, then we went back to get more ice cream." I smiled as he summarized his day, there was probably a lot he was leaving out. Especially since he didn't mention any meal times. 

"Sabo-ya was attacked by a seagull?" I asked, closing my eyes. 

"Shishishi," Luffy started to play with my hair as he spoke. "He and Koala were splashing in the water and they got the bird and it just dived right at Sabo, it was hilarious." 

"Mhm," I hummed, feeling the exhaustion of the day sink in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edited Sept. 1, 2019


	36. Happy

**_■Sabo■_ **

Luffy ran up to the front door as soon as he noticed Law's car. He abandoned his crutches on the side of the street in his excitement. He paused for a moment in the doorway then rushed inside, leaving the front door open.

"Torao?" He called. The rest of us followed him inside. Luffy was already down the hall when we walked in. Fai peered down the hall with a worried look for a moment, she shrugged it off and set her bag down on the coffee table,

"I'm still starving, what's to eat?" I asked, falling onto the couch. 

"You two wanna order pizza?" Fai asked. 

"Sure," Koala said, sitting on the couch next to me. I wrapped my arm around her shoulders.

"I'm down," I agreed. 

"Awesome," Fai pulled out her phone and leaned on the back of the couch, she pulled up the website for pizza hut. 

"How many are we getting?" She asked. I turned to Koala.

"You and Luffy are food vacuums, so three." Fai laughed at that. 

"Crust?"

"Stuffed," I said. 

"I like the way you think." Fai tapped at her phone. "Toppings?" I looked to Koala again. 

"Oh, how about mushroom, tomato, and olive on half, regular pepperoni on the other half," Koala suggested. 

"I'll go see what Luffy wants," I stated. 

"You already know what Luffy wants," Koala countered. 

"Maybe he wants something different," I said, standing up. 

"Uh, huh and maybe you're just looking for an excuse to go check on him and Law." Damn that woman. "Luffy's not a kid anymore he can do whatever he wants with whoever he wants, Sabo." 

"Babe, babe, I just wanted to see what pizza toppings he wants." 

"You know, you _look_ like the protective older brother trope," Fai pointed out Koala snorted. "But you didn't start acting like it until now." At this point, both girls were laughing at me and I honestly had no idea why. 

"I don't look like a trope," I argued. 

"That's exactly what a trope would say," Koala said, still giggling. 

"Wow, I've been betrayed by my own wife," I put my hand on my chest, feigning hurt. Fai and Koala laughed harder. It took a good minute or two before they had calmed down. 

"Luffy!" I called. Fai started to laugh again, granted it wasn't nearly as hard as she was laughing earlier. I got no response. I stood and headed down the hall. Law's bedroom door was closed I lightly knocked on the door. 

"Yeah?" Luffy called. I opened the door and peeked into the room. Luffy was sitting on the bed with Law laying on him. Luffy was looking down at Law, playing with the man's hair. 

"Oh," I muttered. Luffy wore a small smile as he ran his fingers through Law's hair. "Is Law sleeping?" 

"Yep, " Luffy smiled a little wider, still looking down at Law. 

"Well, we're ordering pizza, what toppings do you and Law want?" I opened the door and leaned on the door frame, still holding onto the handle. 

"Anything with lot's of meat!" Luffy declared. 

"Of course," I said. "And Law?" 

"Torao won't want any pizza he doesn't like it."

"What, really?" That was weird. Who didn't like pizza? Luffy nodded. "Weirdo." Luffy continued to smile and play with Law's hair. The way he was looking at Law was familiar. I had seen that same thing in his eyes before but not in a long time. I turned to leave, then I remembered the last time I had seen Luffy look at someone like that.

"You know, Lu," I said, turning back to him. "You haven't looked at anyone the way you're looking at Law since Ace." It was true, of all the other people Luffy had dated he had never had that kind of connection he had with Ace. Without a doubt he had loved the others, but it had always been just...different. 

"Huh," Luffy hummed, Law shifted, moving his hands up Luffy's back. "He called me 'Lu' the other day." That was surprising many people have used that nickname on Luffy, only to conclude in Luffy asking them not to call him that. "It didn't bother me at all, I told him he could call me that if he wanted to." Before this, I had yet to form an opinion of Law.

He was too quiet and distant from other people for me to know. It had made me wonder how he was towards Luffy when they were alone, the man was Luffy's opposite in terms of personality. Now, I realized this guy was going to be good for Luffy. I just hoped nothing bad happened. Luffy deserved to have a relationship like Koala and I had, more than anyone else. 

"Well, pizza," I said.

"Pizza," Luffy agreed. I closed the door as I left.

"Well?" Koala asked.

"The usual." I returned to my spot on the couch, resting my foot on my knee. 

"I told you," Koala sung. "And Law?" 

"He doesn't like pizza," I said

"He doesn't like bread," Fai said at the same time.

"Wait, bread?" I questioned, twisting around the look at Fai. She stared down at her phone without response. 

"What?" Koala asked through a small laugh.

"Law's fine with everything on a pizza, he doesn't like bread, the only reason there's bread in the pantry is because of me and Luffy." 

"Bread is part of everything!" I argued. "Even cake!"

"Yeah, Law doesn't eat cake," Fai said, tapping at her phone and adding the last of the toppings and ordering the pizza.

"I feel like you're messing with me," I decided, returning to a proper sitting position. Fai shrugged.

"You'll figure it out soon enough," She said. 

"Law and Luffy aren't going to come out?" Koala asked. 

"Luffy might but Law's out for the night," I answered. 

"Oh, I guess it is kinda late." Law and Luffy's room door opened I leaned back and looked down the hall, Luffy came to a stop, catching himself at the end of the couch. Law came out behind him, looking tired but awake nonetheless.

"Liar," Koala poked my side. 

"Hey, I'm surprised you're not asleep, we ordered pizza," Fai said, sitting on the other side of Koala and moving Luffy's crutched out of the way. 

"I was almost asleep," Law glared at Luffy, who proceeded to the front window, Law sat in the recliner next to the couch. 

"Luffy, it's gunna be a while," Fai pulled her feet onto the couch, leaning against the armrest. 

"Oh," Luffy said in disappointment, he came away from the window. "What are we gunna do, watch some TV?" 

"Why not," Law asked he leaned forward and picked up the remote, the moment he leaned back Luffy was in his lap. Law turned on the TV and the pizza came within the hour, which Law didn't even touch. I was sure I saw him wrinkle his nose in disgust as Luffy ate his pizza on Law's lap. I spent another night just relaxing with the two most important people in my life.

The next morning I stumbled out of mine and Koala's borrowed bedroom in the haze of sleep and found my way to the bathroom. Once I finished in there I went into the kitchen to get some water and keep myself hydrated. I passed by Law, whom I didn't notice the first time I walked by him. I chugged an entire glass of water before heading back to bed, only to see Law sitting on the edge of the couch by Fai's feet. Fai was asleep and Law was leaning over the coffee table, with...

Luffy's pictures?

I tilted my head to one side and watched him for a moment, rubbing my eyes free of sleep. He was looking at Luffy's picture of Luffy, Ace, and I. What I searched for was his reaction, which was nothing, his face, from what I could see, held no expression. I yawned.

"Whatchya doing?" I asked curiously, leaning on the couch. Law turned his head and looked at me from the corner of his eye. 

"Luffy-ya left his pictures out and I was curious," Law turned back to the picture. That was understandable. Though that whole "-ya" thing Law said at the end of names was a little weird. I had noticed him trying to keep himself from saying it too. I wonder how that came about.

"Did Luffy tell you who's in the picture?" 

"Yeah," Law said, rubbing his wrist that held only a single mark. Interesting. I looked at the picture with all our smiling faces. That picture had been taken the morning before Ace and Luffy started dating. The three of us were as happy as could be in that time in our lives. Luffy and I were pretty happy now, but nothing could ever be as it was, not without Ace. Sure we were a little damaged and battered, but we were happy. 

"Do you think," Law paused. "You could tell me about Ace-ya?" That wasn't the question I was expecting to get from him. It was definitely a different reaction than any of Luffy's previous partners had had. 

"What do you want to know?" I asked him. Law shrugged. I sighed and looked down at my hands. I wasn't sure where to even start or what exactly Law was asking for. 

"Ace was a brother to me," I started. "For a while, it felt like it was the two of us against the world. Then Luffy showed up, he wasn't born my brother but he definitely became my brother." I paused for a moment to catch any reaction from Law, he waited silently for me to speak again. "Ace hated Luffy at first, he wanted nothing to do with a crybaby like him. But Luffy convinced him to be friends at the very least." The corner of Law's mouth twitched upward, was that an almost smile?  
"A few years later, Ace and Luffy got marks, I'm not sure when exactly, we just kinda noticed them one morning. Ace would have done anything to protect me and Luffy." I shook my head thinking about all the times Ace had gotten Luffy and me out of trouble. "I'm sure that's how he died, protecting us..."   
"Ace was an awesome guy, he had great manners too, all he wanted out of life was an adventure and amazing friends to have his back, and to do whatever he could for those friends." I smiled again, thinking about Thatch and Marco. Law's expression stayed neutral, I wasn't sure if my response had satisfied him, but there it was. 

Law nodded after some time, he set the picture down and moved onto the next. It was just a picture of Luffy's friends, the Strawhats, all of them crammed into one frame. Law smiled at it.

He only studied for a few seconds before moving to the next. That one was a picture of Coby. Luffy's second mark. They had never quite gotten to the point of dating. Luffy was too scared to get into another relationship and Coby was terrified of making a move. In the picture Koby was asleep, he had fallen asleep on my couch, his glasses were crooked and he was drooling just a little bit. Law moved to the next photo, it was a girl with bright pink hair and a bit of a baby face.   
Shirahoshi. I didn't remember her very well. She was a shy girl I had only met once but Luffy had told me about her a lot. She was scared of everything and Luffy wanted to show her the world wasn't all that scary. She was the first person Luffy officially dated after Ace. 

The next picture was one of Ace and Luffy. Law smiled at that picture, small and brief, but he still smiled. That was an odd reaction, maybe he liked seeing how happy Luffy was in the photo. He moved on to the next picture. 

Eustass Kid. Law frowned as soon as he saw it. The picture was taken by Kid, he and Luffy were in bed. Luffy was asleep on his chest, without clothing. There was a hickey on the back of Luffy's shoulder, which was hardly noticeable in the photo. Kid wore a smug smile as he looked at the camera from the corner of his eye. Law frowned at it with furrowed eyebrows a while longer before putting the picture down with a sigh. 

Aha! It was possible for Law to get jealous. I headed back to bed, patting Law's shoulder as I left.   
Koala was still asleep, though she had taken to rolling onto my side of the bed. She was also hogging the blanket, hugging it to her chest and twisted between her legs. Damn it.   
I poked Koala's back she grumbled into the blanket and continued to sleep. 

"You're hogging the whole bed," I muttered. Koala did nothing. "Fine. You asked for this." I let myself fall where I may into the mattress. Which, since Koala was laying the middle of the bed, was right over her. 

"Sabo!" Koala yelled groggily. She pulled a pillow and hit me with it. "You asshole!" She hit me with a pillow again. 

"You stole the bed," I stated, getting off of her. 

"You left the bed, it was free real estate," Koala argued. 

"Just scoot over," I told her. 

"I don't want to," Koala turned her back to me.   
  


"Fine, I guess I'll just have to..." I laid down next to her and wrapped my arms around her, and pulled her close to her back was pressed to my chest. 

"You couldn't have done this to start?" Koala asked, pulling the blanket over herself. I did the same.   
"Nope," I mumbled, sliding my hands under her shirt.

"Cold hands," Koala gasped. I ignored her and started to fall back asleep. I wasn't sure how long that was, but it felt like 5 minutes.

I woke to the sound of Luffy's crutches pounding against the floor. 

Followed by, "Food!" 

"I think there's breakfast," Koala said quietly. She had rolled over in her sleep and was using my arm as a pillow. 

"Mmm, food," I hummed. 

I dragged myself out of bed and made my way to the kitchen. Fai and Law were making pancakes. Fai was pouring batter into a pan while Law added chocolate chips in. Law turned to a pan of sizzling bacon and flipped the pieces over. There was a small pile of already made pancakes and a lot of batter left to cook. Food wasn't done yet. 

Watching Law and Fai cook was entertaining in and of itself. The two spoke very little but it was obvious they had done this plenty of times and communication wasn't all that needed. An occasional "incoming" or "watch the oil" was all that was said between the two. There was also

Luffy's instant interference, at first, he had only tried to wrap his arms around Law as the man cooked but Law shooed him away. Then Luffy started to get impatient and Fai kicked him out of the kitchen/dining area entirely until the food was done. 

"Okay, Mugiwara-ya, you can come back in," Law said. Luffy darted back into the kitchen and headed for the counter of food. Law stopped him by providing him an already made plate. The rest of us made our plates and ate breakfast. 

Koala and I spent four days at Law's we went to the beachfront again, without all the chaos of the carnival, there was also a flea market that was held for the end of summer that we went to.

Though Law was reserved and quiet I liked him, he was good for Luffy as far as I could see, and Luffy clearly loved him as if his mark didn't already prove that. 

We got back home to a nice thick envelope sitting on the TV stand. 

"Oh, fun," Koala said, seeing me pick up the envelope. I opened it up, some papers fell out, they were screenshots of text messages. Assigned bounties for Thatch, Koala, and a woman named Viola. There were more papers an Underground bounty for Luffy. 

"Holy shit," I muttered, I flipped over the paper, it was issued by Joker, the same man who had put a bounty on Ace and me. 

"What?" Koala joined came up to me I passed her the papers I had already looked at. There were photos of Underground storage.

"Wait, didn't you take these when you went to Dressrosa?" 

"Yeah they were Jok-" Koala cut herself off. "Oh god, Sabo we know that Doflamingo is Joker, but there's something else I forgot to tell you."

"What...?" I asked the tone in her voice made my palms sweaty. 

"Joker is Law's uncle," she said.

" _What?_ " My heart dropped into my stomach. "You just _forgot_ to tell me this? I just left Luffy _alone_ and _injured_ with a man whose family wants to kill him? Fuck, wasn't Luffy there when you were gathering information? Was Law there too?"

"Hang on Sabo, it's not like that," Koala said, I set the envelope along with the rest of the papers back down. 

"What the hell does that even mean? I have to get Luffy out of there," I patted down my pockets in search of my phone. 

"Wait, Sabo-"

"No, I lost one brother I'm not going to risk Luffy too!" I snapped.   
"Sabo! Look at me," Koala snapped back, she crossed her arms and glared at me.

"I would never put Luffy in danger," She paused, waiting for me to react to that. When I said nothing she continued. "Law was a prisoner in that place too, he hates Doflamingo and wants nothing to do with him."

"Then how did Luffy end up there without any of his friends?" I demanded. 

"Joker used Luffy as a way to get Law there." Her explanation did nothing to calm me down.

"Sabo, you can trust Law." Koala insisted. 

"You don't know that," I muttered, looking away from her. 

"Yes, I do," Koala uncrossed her arms and set down the papers she held. Koala came close to me and grabbed my each of my hands. "Luffy wasn't going to leave, he didn't want to not unless Law went with him, and Law didn't want to leave him there, but Law convinced him to leave."

"That doesn't make sense."

Koala explained how Thatch had shown up, that she had told me about, then all the things she had done, getting those people out of there and convincing some of them to publicly speak against Doflamingo, none of which she was supposed to do while she was there. 

"You're sure about this?" I asked her, Koala pressed her lips together. 

"Yes," Koala stood on her toes and kissed me. "We can trust Law." I looked into her blue eyes, she was completely sure of herself

"Okay," I finally said, I had no strong gut feeling to get Luffy away from Law, but everything else told me otherwise. 

"What else is there?" I turned back to the papers, there was an entire file on the government's plans on how to deal with Doflamingo. It was all fake. They wanted most of Joker's underlings out of the picture, there was some deal we didn't have information on. 

"We should call Dragon," Koala suggested. I nodded, still worried about Luffy. 


	37. Flights

**_♡Law♡_ **

"Hey, Torao," Luffy drew out my name, he came up behind the couch and pressed his lips to my neck. I leaned my head all the way back to look up at Luffy. He smiled and kissed me again. 

"Have you seen Spiderman?" Luffy asked. 

"Yes, my movie experience is limited, not deprived," I informed him, gaining that perfect smile of his in response. 

"Shishishi, that was kinda like the kiss in the movie." 

"Who's Jane and who's Spiderman?" I asked. 

"I'm definitely Spiderman," Luffy wore a cocky grin. 

"I think you make a much better Jane," I said, meeting his grin.

"No way!" Luffy argued. 

"Well, you bottom so-" Luffy cut me off by kissing me again. A kiss that intitled far more physical contact than we had. Luffy broke our kiss and jumped over the back of the couch, landing on the cushion next to me. Luffy wasted no time in planting himself on my lap, hitting my knee with his cast in the process. I kissed Luffy this time around pulling him close to me. Luffy let out a small moan, and I was barely touching him yet. 

"Torao," Luffy said in a mixture of a whine and a moan. Fuck, that was hot. 

"Fai's not home," I told him. Luffy kissed me again.

"Just fuck me already," he demanded running his hands through my hair and rolling his hips. 

"If you insist," I hummed into his ear, scooting forward to give Luffy room to wrap his legs around my waist. I lifted him up and headed for our room, closing the door behind us. Luffy let his feet drop to the ground, he grabbed my shirt collar and turned my back to the bed Luffy pushed me onto the mattress and climbed on top of me. Damn, okay. 

Before I knew it his mouth was on mine and he was pushing my shirt up and pulling it off. I ran my hands down his body, slipping underneath his shirt and barely brushing over his skin, teasing him. 

"No, Torao don't tease me," Luffy pouted a little. 

"Well, that's no fun," I responded. I flipped us over, pinning Luffy's hands to the bed, interlocking our fingers as I did so. Luffy did the only thing he could, which was grind and continue to kiss me. Luffy got hard fast. 

"Damn, Lu, excited?" 

"Fuck you," Luffy bit. I let Luffy go, and found myself on my back again. Luffy undid my pants and pushed them down around my thighs, then went my boxers. Luffy peppered my chest and stomach with kisses, bitting at the edges of my tattoos. Then Luffy tongue was running up my dick.

"Oh, shit," I gasped, not expecting the action at the moment. I propped myself on my elbows, looking down at Luffy as he took my entire cock into his mouth. "Shit," I hummed, Luffy mouth was hot and wet and felt so damned good. I was definitely aroused now. Luffy promptly stopped sucking my dick and pressed his lips to the space just below my bellybutton. 

"Now we're both hard," he hummed, far too prideful in that. Luffy finished pulling off my pants and dragged his tongue up my dick again but did no more than that before latching onto my neck and pushing me flat on my back. Luffy started to grind on me again, which was both uncomfortable as fuck against his jeaned shorts and insanely arousing. I pulled his pants and boxers down, having to fight against the damned cast on his foot. Luffy added teeth to his kissing, making me moan. 

Luffy always managed to balance the line between pain and pleasure perfectly. Luffy tangled his fingers into my hair, tugging on the black locks enough for me to moan, between that and Luffy's mouth on my neck I was quickly becoming a mess. I wrapped my arms around him, his skin was invitingly warm to the touch, I ran my fingertips down his spine. Luffy moaned into my neck, a moan that was very close to a growl. I had nearly forgotten about that cute little quirk. Luffy came back to my lips, kissing me with an unnecessary, but welcomed force. 

"Lube?" Luffy asked in labored breaths. I reached up to the nightstand and pulled the second drawer open. Luffy reached over me, grabbing it from the drawer, he squeezed some into his hand them smeared it over his own dick.

When the fuck did I agree to bottom? 

Luffy reached over me again and grabbed a pillow. Oh, fuck no. 

"Wait a-" Luffy didn't give me time to speak as soon as I uttered a word he bit at my neck and pulled on my hair, making me moan. He pulled a little harder with one hand and the other was stroking my cock. The waves of pleasure brought my back into an arch, giving Luffy the gap he needed to slide that fucking pillow under me. That little shit. Luffy sat up, his eyes gazed over my body greedily. Luffy bit his lip as he brought his eyes back to mine, those beautiful brown eyes filled with pure lust. 

"You're so beautiful," Luffy muttered. Luffy pushed my legs apart, and he pushed his dick into me without warning and without preparation.

"Holy fuck!" I shouted at the pain that shot up my spine, that was such a confusing pleasure. Luffy moaned. Tears welled up in the corner of my eyes. Luffy started to shift. "Shit, Luffy wait." I grabbed Luffy's arm my breathing still heavy. 

"Torao?" Luffy questioned. 

"Don't-" I panted, "ever do that again," I muttered. Luffy leaned over me, his movement sent goosebumps over my skin.

"Are you okay?" Luffy ran his hand up my stomach, stopping at the center of my chest. I didn't answer, Luffy leaned in a little closer.

"Fuck," I moaned. "Yeah, go, slow." Luffy started thrusting. I moaned again. He went really slow, watching me as he did and letting out his own mess of moans. Luffy gradually started to build up to a normal pace, he leaned forward, kissing my chest, then my neck, biting at my flesh, Luffy pounded into me even harder.

I made ungodly noises, that I was sure of, but once Luffy started pounding my ass all I could think about was his dick. Luffy pressed our lips together, apparently, I could focus on something that wasn't Luffy's dick. That other thing was his lips, warm, soft, and wet. I ran my fingers up and down his spine, there was no way in hell I was going to be the only moaning mess in this. Luffy moaned into our kiss. I sucked and bit at his bottom lip until Luffy opened up his mouth for me.

I pushed my tongue in and tasted every bit of his mouth I could. Luffy kept moaning, the noises were maddening, and his dick still assaulting my ass in the best way possible. Luffy pulled away with a moan and heavy breathing. 

"I'm gunna cum," Luffy sighed into my ear. 

"Don't you dare end this yet," I growled. I stopped touching his spine, instead, I let my hands wander other places, like the dips and curves of his muscles and the tarnished skin on his chest. Luffy moaned and rested his head on my shoulder, I kissed his neck, biting at his skin with every intention of marking him with hickeys. I took in heavy breaths, breathing in Luffy glorious smell with them. How could a human be this perfect, god damn?

"Oh, fuck Luffy!" I moaned even louder he had just started hitting my prostate fucking perfectly.

"Keep doing that, babe." I tensed as he fucked me harder. 

"Torao!" Luffy moaned. "You're so hot. I can't-" Luffy unloaded in me, his sperm a whole new kind of heat. Luffy dropped on top of me, his entire body shaking and his forehead pressed to my chest. I never thought I'd enjoy being a bottom so damned much. It was only a moment or two before Luffy kissed his way back down to my dick in desperate need of attention. Like before, he ran his tongue up my dick before taking the whole thing into his mouth. I moaned just as loud as I had when he had been inside me. 

I ran my hand through his hair, pulling it into a fist and following the bobbing of his head, Luffy would look up at me, with a gaze intense enough to make me moan. Oh god, whatever Luffy just did with his mouth he needs to keep doing. 

"Luffy-" He grunted loudly before I could say anything, the vibration sent a moan past my lips too. Before I knew it I was coming too, Luffy looked up at me as he swallowed what my dick pumped. Luffy pulled away from my crotch, I pulled the blankets from under me and slipped beneath them, Luffy joined me, falling onto my chest and hugging me. He had cum resting at the corner of his mouth, I whipped it away with my thumb and kissed him. Luffy was already starting to fall asleep. Maybe sex in the middle of the day wasn't such a great idea. 

"I love you," Luffy muttered, nuzzling into my neck, his warm breath was pure bliss against my skin. 

"I love you too," I kissed the top of his head.

The next morning, well, it wasn't morning. I had no idea what time of day it was, I slept through most of it. Luffy was still asleep on my chest, he had hardly moved since we fell asleep. Still pressed close together and with our arms around each other. Fai swung open the door, thanks for knocking, dear cousin. 

"Are you sleeping or-"

"Yes, I was," I muttered, not daring to move for fear of disrupting the complete comfort I felt with Luffy. "I'm also naked, so thanks for knocking."

"You slept with Luffy?"Fai sounded surprised, and her voice was loud. 

"Yes, why is that surprising?" I muttered. "Also, could you be a little quieter, Luffy-ya is asleep."

"Oh," Fai said much quieter. 

"Did you need something?" 

"No, I was just checking on you, you're not usually sleeping mid-day," Fai said.

"Mhm," I hugged Luffy a little tighter. Fai closed the door as she left. Luffy shifted and sighed against my neck.

"You awake?" I asked, running my fingertips up and down his spine. I am glad to have found this out. 

Luffy purred. "No, but keep doing that." I did and was rewarded with some of the most adorable sounds from Luffy I had ever heard. 

We stayed like that for a long time. An hour, maybe two, before I decided I needed a shower. My skin was still sticky with sweat...and other things, and now that I was much more awake it was uncomfortable.

I'd also be washing my bedding as soon as Luffy got up. The issue was, Luffy was still on top of me. He wasn't asleep but the only thing that would get him to move at this point was food. 

"Let me up?" I asked him quietly. 

"No, mine," Luffy held me tight and rubbed his nose on my chest. 

"I'm still yours when I'm not in bed with you," I told him. Luffy hummed in agreement but didn't move. 

"Mugiwara-ya I want a shower," I told him. Luffy glanced up at me. 

"Only if I can go with you." 

"Fine, but you still have to let me up." Luffy rolled over. I sat up and swung my feet off the mattress, I sought out the nearest pair of boxers which I honestly think were Luffy's. I stood to pull them on only for my legs to give out and fall on my ass. 

Great. 

"Okay?" Luffy asked, still not moving. 

"Uh-huh," I muttered and pulled on the underwear, using the nightstand to hold most of my weight. The tube of lube still sat at the edge of my bed, I returned it to its drawer. I'd need to buy more soon. I collected some clean clothes and headed to the bathroom. 

I was already in the shower and washing my hair when Luffy came in. I heard him putting on the bags over his foot before he came in, still very sleepy looking. Luffy hugged me, leaning on me and pressing his forehead to my chest. 

As soon as we got out of the shower Luffy left with only a towel wrapped around him, he had not brought clothes with him. I got dressed and headed for the kitchen, the smell of cooking meat was filling my home. Fai had made food. 

The next few weeks went by quicker than I expected. I had to take Luffy to get his cast adjusted, they cut off the old one, which Luffy wasn't too happy about, still, he insisted on keeping it. The new cast was bright orange instead of red, I signed that one for Luffy too, as did Fai. After another couple weeks, Luffy switched to a brace.

Then he was free of his broken foot in no time, which meant he was leaving. This time I was sure to drop him off at the airport and walk him as far as I could to his flight. The same security guard that had stopped me the first time Luffy left was there. He beamed when he saw us, a man I had never spoken to seemed very interested in mine and Luffy's relationship, though maybe he knew of Luffy, I seemed to always forget Luffy had made a name of himself on the internet and there were a lot of people that recognized him. 

"You'll call?" I asked him. 

"Of course!" Luffy promised. "As soon as I land!" I kissed him for the millionth time since we left home, not caring too much about all the people around us. Luffy took his suitcase. 

"I love you," He said with a huge grin. 

"I love you," I replied and kissed him again. 

"One more?" Luffy asked, and one more kiss it was. Then Luffy left. He'd fly to Water 7, then switch flights and head to Zou. Fall was setting in so he was a little further south but not all that far. I headed back home and dropped onto my couch Fai was there too. 

"Awe, don't be too sad, Luffy will be back," Fai teased. I didn't reply. I already wanted Luffy cuddling with me on the couch, or in bed, wherever, I just wanted him next to me but he was not.

"Why don't you go out with your friends, you only hung out with them a couple times, and none of those times were without Luffy."

"Maybe," for now I decided to read. Even that was strange without Luffy insisting on cuddling while I read. In the weeks since Fai had moved in with me, she found a job at an ice cream shop, I had a feeling it was the same shop Luffy told me about. It wasn't Fai's first job, but it was the first legal pay she had gotten in a while. She left shortly after that. 

It was only a couple hours later that Luffy called me, he had landed in Water 7. He had an hour before he had to get onto another plane. He promised not to leave the airport and promised to call me when he got to Zou. 

It was early in the morning when my phone started to ring. I reached out across my bed, blindingly searching for my phone.

"What?" I answered not bothering to look at the caller ID, I expected to hear Sachi or Penguin's voice through the phone.

"Oh, did I wake you up?" Luffy asked. 

"Yes," I mumbled pulling the cover around my shoulder and rolling over. 

"Sorry," I could hear Luffy's smile. "I just got to Zou and I'm waiting for Nami to come to get me. It's the middle of the day here, I forgot about time zones." So did I. 

"Mhm," I hummed. 

"You sound really sleepy, you should go back to bed," Luffy said. Well, I had never actually left my bed so there's that. "Goodnight, Torao."

"Night," I mumbled, probably hanging up and dropping my phone, falling back to sleep only thinking about Luffy. I couldn't wait to see him again.


	38. Zou

**_♤Luffy♡_ **

"Nami!" I shouted as soon as I saw her walk into the airport, I ran up to her and hugged her. I had forgotten how much I really missed her; the others too. 

"Hi, Luffy," She said with a smile. 

"Where's everyone else?" I asked. 

"Working, obviously," Nami said, leading the way to the rented car. 

"How's Jimbei? He's good right?" 

"He's almost as good as you Zoro and Sanji, with more experience he'll surpass Sanji soon," Nami said.

"Really? that's awesome!" I said Nami unlocked the car and we got in. Nami grinned.

"He gets along with everyone really well," Nami pulled into the road. "I'll take you by everyone before we go back to the hotel, sound's good?"

"Yep!" I said I couldn't wait to see them all.

"Oh, and look in the back." I twisted in my seat, my hat was sitting in the middle of the back seat. I gasped at seeing it. I reached back and grabbed it, hugging it to my chest and setting it on top of my head. 

"We're doing better now?" I asked. Nami nodded.

"A lot better, I had to switch everyone to dancing and we've been cramming into two hotel rooms but we've recovered really well." Nami came to a stop. Jimbei, Franky, and Usopp were dancing with a huge speaker and a snapback on the ground next to them. They looked awesome, their moves caught people's attention and a small crowd was around the two. I jumped out of the car and watched them for a little while. They had a pretty obvious pattern in the routine, I jumped in, my hat fell to my back, hanging by the string. 

"L-Luffy?" Usopp said though he didn't let me mess up. Chopper barked but stayed put, wagging his tail.

"I've got an idea, think you can keep up?" I asked, glancing at the three. I knew Usopp and Franky could do it, the real test was Jimbei.

"Is that a challenge?" Franky asked. 

"Shishishi," I twisted back and ran towards Franky, he fell into a kneel and I stepped up on his knee and launched myself into a backflip. There crowd gasped. I landed it and the song ended Usopp went to the speaker, picked up the hat and paused the music, he grinned and swung the hat around in the front of the crowd. People dropped money into the hat and dispersed. 

"Luffy!" Usopp said with a smile he pulled me into a hug. "How've you been?" 

"Good, I missed you guys, and I miss dancing too," I grinned and looked over at Jimbei. 

"Hey, Strawhat," Jimbei said. 

"Jimbei, you looked super cool!" I exclaimed. Nami came over to us.

"How much do we have?" She asked. Usopp jogged to his bag and pulled out a ziplock full of change and cash. He added the money from the hat and gave it to Nami. 

"Oh, I do love this lifestyle," She hummed. "Well, we've got a few more stops to make, let's go Luffy." Chopper jumped on my legs, I kneeled down to pet him.

"Chopper, look, you're all grown up!" I scratched behind his ears.

"Luffy!" Nami called. 

"See ya guys," I said following Nami to the car. 

"What about all that stuff with the government?" I asked. Nami was quiet for a moment.

"They've been silent, it's more nerve-wracking than having to straight on fight them like the last time..." She said. "I've moved all our money under Usopp's name, trying to keep them off us, maybe that's why nothing's happened yet." 

"Don't worry, we can handle anything," I assured. Nami pressed her lips together. 

"Yeah," She said, though I don't think she was sure of that. We came to another stop. Zoro, Sanji, Robin, and Brook were at a fountain, one of those cool ones where water gushed up from the ground with cool lights at the bottom, Robin, Zoro, and Sanji were dancing while Brook stood to the side of the fountain with instruments. Robin, Zoro, and Sanji were in the fountain, being splattered with water, they had timed it so they weren't getting dowsed in water every time it shot up from the ground. I got out if the car with Nami and watched them for a moment, I couldn't pick out a clear pattern, that was definitely Robin's choreography. 

"What do you think of your crew?" Nami asked. I watched them move and my heart pounded. there was a huge crowd on one side of the fountain. Water shot from the fountain and Zoro and Sanji froze in place, I could see them both breathing heavily, Robin still danced with grace as she moved between the columns of water. Robin's movements were mesmerizing and beautiful.

Sanji and Zoro started moving again, they finished with the water falling, Zoro and Sanji held Robin in the air, I winced at the sight of Robin's heel planted into Zoro's hand. Sanji and Zoro lowered her to the ground with a round of applause. I dashed across the fountain, following the three as the met up with Brook, they were all soaked.

"Brook, what time is it?" I hear Robin ask. 

"Guys!" I yelled as I caught up with them just as I left the fountain water spouted up again. That was close.

"Luffy!" They all said with smiles. I pulled them into a group hug. I took off my hat and held it out to people who dropped money into it. A man lingered and waited for the crowd to disappear. 

"You guys were amazing!" I stated Robin, Brook, and Sanji blushed while Zoro grinned.

"Of course we are, we've gotta make our captain proud, right?" Zoro glanced around at the others. 

"Monkey D. Luffy," A voice said I turned and saw a man I recognized immediately.

"Who are you?" Zoro glared at him. 

"Marco?" I asked. Ace's best friend. 

"You know him?" Zoro asked I nodded.

"I've been trying to catch up with your group for months," Marco said. 

"And?" I asked, not trying to be rude but it may have sounded that way. 

"I've gotten close a couple times, the closest was Dressrossa, then you guys completely disappeared. I got a heads up from Thatch and finally found you." 

"Why were you looking for us?" I asked

"I'm working with the Pirate's Company, you know of them?" 

"Yeah," Nami answered, stepping next to me to talk to Marco too.

"Pop's want's you guys under the name, you don't have to accept, just hear me out." He explained. 

"Okay," I agreed. Marco smiled.

"Great, meet me at Elephant tomorrow at noon, bring a couple of your friends, my treat," Marco said, walking away.

"Alright," I agreed. 

"Luffy," Nami hissed under her breath. "You can't just blindly accept stuff like that!" 

"Why not?" 

"Pirate's is a huge thing, he could be trying to con us," Nami half-shouted. 

"Nah, not Marco," I said.

"How do you know him?" Zoro asked.

"He was Ace's friend." Zoro nodded and didn't ask any more questions. 

"Are we going to join them?" Robin asked.

"I dunno," I said honestly. I didn't like the idea of being under a company but maybe it could be good? I promised I'd hear Marco out so where's the harm? 

"We'll deal with that when we come to it," Nami said. "How much have you made?" Sanji scooped the money in Brooks case and added it to my hat, passing it to Nami. They had made a lot more than Usopp's group. 

"Lovely," Nami said with a grin. "Okay, let's go Luffy." 

"See you!" I told the others, following Nami back to the car. Nami added the money to Usopp's ziplock and returned my hat to me. We got back into the car and headed for the hotel. It was a place that was similar to Flevance, maybe a little nicer, I don't know Flevance was a long time ago. 

We got back to the hotel, Nami opened up my room for me, as usual, I was sharing with Sanji and Zoro. The room had off-white walls, two queen beds that sat to one side, there was a small sitting area in front of the beds, along with a TV and the bathroom was opposite of the door. The room was very modern looking, the bedding was black and grey, the lights in the room hung over the beds, just orbs planted into the ceiling. The carpet was also black and fluffy. 

I set my bag next to Sanji's and Zoro's. I yawned and let myself fall onto the bed, it was weird not feeling my cast or the giant brace bounce against the mattress or bed frame. I had only completely stopped using it a few days ago. I stretched out my foot, it still felt so freeing to move my foot around again. On the top my foot barely scarred, but on the bottom, there was a huge scar and small scars that flaked around it.

I was starting to feel the jet lag, I had been on Flevance time, for what, two months? Three? I dunno, but it was the middle of the night there and I wanted to sleep. I crawled up to the pillows and face planted into them, a nice nap was needed. 

I woke up early the next morning, feeling like I had slept too much. Sanji and Zoro were in the other bed, it looked like the sun was up. I had slept all day and all night? That was at least two meals and a snack! My phone started to ring, so I pulled my phone from my pocket and answered. 

"Hi, Torao!" I said a little too loudly, Sanji muttered across the room. 

"Hey, I didn't wake you, did I?" Law asked.

"Nope, I woke up before you called," I replied. 

"That's good," Law said. He was really awkward on the phone. I really wanted to kiss him, just a small kiss on the cheek, but he wasn't here. I also wanted to be next to him, with his arm around me. There was a loud crash on the phone. 

"What was that?" 

"Fai, she's in the kitchen," Law said. "Hey, are you okay?" 

"Yeah, I just knocked over that," Fai's voice was distant. "Don't worry, I'll clean it up, go talk to Luffy."

"You sure?" 

"Yes, it's my mess go away." 

"Anyway, what are you up to?" Law asked I could imagine Torao running his hands through my hair and asking me how my day went, I smiled. 

"I'm gunna start dancing today, but I think Robin is gunna make me practice the moves first all morning," I said. 

"You love it," Law said, I could tell he was smirking.

"I do," I confirmed. 

"Luffy, get out," Sanji grumbled. I frowned and stood up, going out into the hall. I didn't wanna wake him up. 

"Anything else?" 

"Oh, I'm going to talk to a guy from the... Pirate's something," I couldn't remember. 

"Pirate's Company?" Law asked. 

"Yeah, that's it!" I headed to the elevator and then down to the lobby. 

"Wow, Lu, that's amazing, are you going to sign with them?" I wasn't entirely sure what this Pirate's Company was but I had heard of it I'm sure.

"I dunno, I'll see later today," I went into the restaurant part of the hotel. There was a lady there on her phone, picking at her breakfast. I sat down and another lady came out of the kitchen. 

"What are you going to do all day?" I asked, the phone lady glanced up at me, she noticed she wasn't being spoken to and turned back to her phone, the waitress came over. "Oh, hang on a second." 

"Good morning, I'm Maya, I'll be your waitress, here's your menu," She said. "Can I get you something to drink?"

"Just water," I said, the lady left, I picked up the phone again. "Okay," 

"What was that about?" Law asked curiously.

"Sanji kicked me out of our room so I came to get breakfast, the waitress was here. Hey, you still didn't answer me," I said, I looked at the menu and already knew what I wanted. 

"I'm going to go to Shakky's with Bepo and the rest in about an hour, but you should know it's the end of the day for me, and that you're 12 hours ahead of me." 

"Well, what did you do all day?" I corrected.

"Just worked, boring stuff, I removed someone's kidney and put it into someone else, the usual," Law said. I smiled, my doctor boyfriend was pretty cool. 

"Law, you should never be taken out of context, someone will think you're a serial killer," Fai said in the background. 

"Shishishi." The waitress came back with my water and asked if I was ready to order, I told her what I wanted and she disappeared into the kitchen again. 

"What are you laughing at?" Law asked.

"Fai's right, y' know," I said.

"Are you calling me a serial killer?" Law feigned offense as he spoke.

"No, silly I said you sound like one," I smiled. The woman on her phone looked over at me again, maybe I was bothering her, oh well, she was the only one here and she was across the room.   
"I think you'd make a great serial killer, you've got that whole creepy aura about you," Fai said, I started to laugh. "And with Luffy's sunshine face you wouldn't even get caught." 

"Alright, I guess me and you are the next Bonnie and Clyde with a twist, I think I found our first victim." I could hear Law's half-grin, he was only joking, someone who didn't know him might think he was serious. 

"I'm not going down without a fight," Fai stated.

"And she'll scream, it's a bonus, what do you think, Mugiwara-ya?" 

"I think you're crazy," I decided, taking a gulp of water. 

"Maybe a little," Law agreed. The waitress came back with my food. "What else are you going to do in Zou?" 

"I dunno, it depends what comes up," I said, digging into my food, using my only free hand. I was delicious by nothing ever came to par with Sanji's cooking. 

"That sounds adventurous," Law's voice was laced with sarcasm.

"It will be," I insisted, ignoring the sarcastic tone. 

"If you say so," Law paused. "I think, that's Sachi at the door, gotta go, I'll call you later." 

"Okay, love you." 

"You too," Law said before hanging up. I finished my food, paid the bill and went back up to my room. Sanji and Zoro were just waking up. 

"Hey guys," I said as I came in. 

"Where'd you run off to?" Zoro asked. 

"I just went to eat," I said, stretching and digging up clean clothes from my bag. 

"Alone?" Sanji asked.

"Yeah, so?" I found a set of clothes and started to change. 

"You just, never do stuff alone," Sanji shrugged. 

"I was talking to Torao," I shrugged and finished getting dressed. "Who am I going with today?" 

"Zoro," Sanji answered, "Now that you're back I can open my food stand, I'm going to go get supplies right now, I'll make some dinner for everyone before I close up too," 

"Yes!" I cheered pumping my fist. 

"Robin said we'd practice all morning, then you'd go to that meeting and meet us at the fountain afterward," Zoro explained. 

"Oh right, who are you taking with you?" Sanji was adjusting his tie in the bathroom mirror. 

"I wanna take everyone but Marco only said a couple so Nami and Zoro, if you want to go," 

"Yeah, I'll go," Zoro agreed. Sanji finished with his tie, he walked over to Zoro and kissed him before heading to the door. They made me miss Law a little more. Sanji headed for the door, when he opened it, Robin was on the other side, about to knock. 

"Oh, good morning Sanji," Robin said with a small smile. 

"Goodmorning Robin," Sanji said with a smile, he held the door open for her before stepping outside. 

"Ready?" Robin asked. I rolled my shoulders back, listening to them pop. 

"More than ready," I said, determined to kick ass today. The three of us practiced all morning, going over the routine I had witnessed yesterday. Robin put down markers for where all the water was going to gush out. That was probably the hardest to get right. 

Zoro had the whole thing down, so the only thing holding us back was me, every time I messed up Robin would make us start over. There was a part that Robin changed though, I was too short to do that cool finishing thing that they had done yesterday with Zoro. So Robin changed it, and fit into the choreography perfectly.

It didn't look as cool as the last one though. Nami had watched the entire time too. The more frustrating part was at the start when Robin pushed me to do basics dance stuff over and over to make sure I didn't forget over the past couple of months.

"You still need some fine-tuning but I don't really have a choice, anymore, you have to meet with Marco soon," Robin said finally letting us go. 

"Finally," Zoro sighed, we were all pretty sweaty.

"We've got half an hour, both of you need a shower, be quick," Nami ordered. Zoro and I showered (not in the same bathroom, that'd be weird) and met Nami in the lobby, from there we went to a place called the Elephant, it was a bar and dinner. The sign had a cartoon elephant on it that looked a lot like Dumbo without the hat. We walked in and found Marco, he was sitting at a table with a single drink in front of him. He noticed us come in and waved us over. 

"Hey Marco," I said with a smile and sat across from him Zoro sat next to him, and Nami next to me

"Hey, Luffy, how've you been?" Marco asked. 

"Great," I responded. 

"I can tell, you seem happy," Marco tilted his head glancing at Zoro and Nami. "Who are your friends, we were never properly introduced,"

"I'm Nami," Nami said with a small smile she was faking. "The silent brute there is Zoro." 

"It's nice to meet you both," Marco politely smiled at both of them. A waiter came by and gave us menu's, and asked us for drinks, Zoro got a beer, Nami got orange juice and I got a soda. 

"You said someone wanted us at Pirate's?" Nami asked curiously. 

"Yeah, Edward Newgate wants to hire you guys," Marco answered. "But let's worry about that after we eat." While we waited for food Marco talked about what had happened after Sabo and I left Goa Island, Dadan had looked all over for us and drove Teach way the hell out of the island. Nami and Zoro didn't completely understand any of what Marco talked about he talked about. He also talked about leaving Goa, too.

I told him what Sabo and I had done after we got out of Goa, most of the stories were boring but Marco wanted to know. We ordered food and it was brought out while we talked, Nami asked questions here and there, and most of them had to do with me when I was a kid. Zoro stayed silent pretty much the entire time. Once we had finished our food, Marco brought the conversation back to the Pirate's Company. 

"The Strawhat's aren't the kind of group we usually go for," Marco explained. "For the most part, we get YouTubers, Musicians, artists, dancers, or actors that are struggling to get attention on the Media. You guys obviously don't have that kind of problem, you're completely self-sufficient." 

"That we are," Nami agreed, taking pride in her ability to spread our name across the internet.

"Why then?" Zoro asked. 

"The crowd's you've managed to draw is incredible, there are people asking us to sign with you," Marco explained. "We like the popularity the Strawhats would bring us." 

"Hang on," Nami said. "I know for a fact Pirate's controls what people produce under them," Nami glared at him suspiciously, I frowned. No, I wasn't going to let anyone control what kind of routines we did. 

"Hang on, I'm getting there, we do filter content but I knew Luffy would say no immediately if that were the case. Edward is offering you guys a five-year contract that allows you guys to do whatever you want wherever you want," Marco said. 

"None of this is official yet, but he wants you guys to be able to do as you please, It'd be more of a partnership than signing under a producer. The only requirement is that you guys are at the Pirate Festival every year to kick off the summer, and even then we won't filter you guys unless it's too sexual. Of course, we'll ask you to perform at other events but those you could say 'no' to." 

"Really?" I asked, that would be really cool. 

"Where's the contract for this?" Nami asked. 

"It's not written yet, Edward won't write it up until you guys agree to it, and even then if you don't like it you can back out, but once you guys sign it that's the deal, you're stuck with us for five years and then you can stay or break off on your own again," Marco explained. I liked the thought of that.

"We'd do everything we usually do for our sign-ons, promote you on media, offer you spots in our events, and we'd give you all a flat monthly paycheck. You'll have a practice space completely at your disposal as well," Marco continued. 

"There's a _but_ in there isn't there?" I asked. Marco nodded. 

"Anyone you want to include in your group after you sign on with us has to be cleared through us." 

"What if Ignore that?" Marco shrugged. 

"They won't be allowed to perform at our event's with you and we won't pay them."

"That's it?" Nami asked. Marco nodded. 

"Are you interested?" Marco asked. To perform at the Pirate Festival would be amazing, with all their tech it would look amazing too, and we could meet so many other cool people! I didn't like the part about having to clear new members with them but the rest seemed awesome. Nami and Zoro watched me silently. I didn't have any kind of warning not to, so what the hell?

"Okay," I agreed. 

"You're sure?" Marco asked. "There's a bunch of in-between details that haven't been worked out." 

"Yeah, we'll sign with the Pirate's Company," I said. 

"Great," Marco smiled. "Just one last thing. How many of you are there?" 

"Ten," I answered.

"Luffy, Chopper doesn't count to them, he's a dog," Nami said. "There's nine."

"Ten it is," Marco said with a small smile. "I'll get in contact with you again as soon as we have a contract ready, if you need anything or change your mind." Marco slid a card across the table.

"It's been good seeing you again, Luffy," Marco paid the bill and left. 

"Did that really just happen?" Nami asked herself. "We agreed to sign with the Pirate's Company?"

"Looks like it, this could be fun," Zoro stated as we got up to leave.

"Robin's not going to like that we've only got a year to prepare for an event like that." 

"We can manage," Zoro smirked. 

"Alright then, I'll take you two to the fountain. Nami said. 

Robin and Brook were sitting on a bench when we got there, the fountains were gurgling up water. I filled the two in on what I had agreed on with Marco.

Then we started our show, my hat was tossed around, Robin really liked how our fans had reacted to it in Dressrosa so she kept it an ongoing thing. There was a flip or two in there, which was a lot harder to land with the wet pavement under my feet. 

We stayed for two weeks in Zou, the rest had stayed an extra week before I joined them. Then we went to a town called Little Garden, it was another small town like Flevance, it was around this time when Marco reached out to me again. 

He informed me he had a contract ready for us, and he and Edward Newgate would meet us in a town a few hours from Little Garden since they had an office there, so on the arranged day, the ten of us boarded a train and headed to Alabasta, which Nami was really excited about.

"Okay guys, we're staying here for a couple hours before heading back to Little Garden," Nami explained.

"Are you going to stay the night here?" Robin asked with a knowing smile. Nami blushed. 

"Nami, we have to go see Vivi too," I insisted. 

"I'd like to go to the shops they have here, I hear they have all sorts of rare instruments," Brook hummed. I forgot him, Franky, and Jimbei didn't know Vivi. 

"That would be super," Franky agreed. "Why don't you guys go see your friend and Brook and I will take our new bro to the shops too".

"Alright!" I agreed. We parted there, we still had a few hours before we were going to meet Marco. Vivi's family was one of the wealthiest in Alabasta, and they gave a lot of their money back to the poorer citizens. Vivi was sitting in her garden when we found her. She hadn't noticed us yet. Nami pulled off her heels and ran up to her girlfriend, hugging Vivi and kissing her. I really missed my Torao. 

"Nami?" Vivi gasped, hugging Nami back, she noticed the rest of us then too.

"Oh my god," She said with a huge grin. Vivi ran over to us, hugging us each separately. 

"What are you guys doing here? Come inside, we can have lunch." The eight of us shuffled inside, being greeted with smiles at the rest of Vivi's household, Nami told Vivi about the Pirate's Company. We were fed with large amounts of food and had a good time hanging out with Vivi. We danced a little bit, just for fun, out in front of Vivi's house, we improvised the entire thing. We messed up a little bit but it was still fun. Afterward, we met back up with Brook, Franky, and Jimbei and headed to the Pirate's Company office. Nami informed the Receptionist who was sitting at the front desk and we were escorted to another office. 

"Hiya," I said. 

"Hey, Luffy," Marco greeted letting the ten of us into the big room. There was a huge table, fitted with twelve seats with a small booklet of papers in front of them. We all sat down, at the table, I was at one end with Zoro on my right and Sanji on the left. The room had an air of awkwardness covered up in formality. 

"You've already discussed this with Marco?" 

"Yeah," I leaned on the table, Nami looked nervous, Jimbei and Usopp too, Chopper even sat up in a chair. 

"Good, we've made a few changes I'd like to go over," Edward stated the man turned to the first page, he talked through and explained the contract to us all. Nami read through the papers, picking apart all weird phrasings and pointing out loopholes to Edward as we went through it. 

There really weren't changes from what Marco had said, but there was the addition of covering flights so long as they included our whole group traveling together. There was also an agreement that none of us would post over sexual content onto our main social media profiles or under the Strawhat name, which we didn't do anyway so that didn't matter. The booklets that we had weren't official documents, just copies. So when we're done Marco brought Edward's copy to us. Nami insisted on skimming over it again, just to be sure we weren't getting ourselves into a mess. 

"What do you say Strawhat Luffy?" Edward Newgate asked as Marco set a pen down in front of me. I glanced around at my friends for a moment. Then grinned and signed my name on the paper. I passed it to Zoro who signed his own name, then to Nami, Brook, Franky, and Robin, then across the table to Usopp, then Chopper, whose paw was dipped in ink and pressed to the paper. Then it was onto Jimbei and finally Sanji. 

Marco took the paper from Sanji and back over to Edward who signed the paper and gave it back to Marco. Marco left the room. 

"This is a decision you won't regret," he promised. 

"Even if something bad happens, I won't regret it," I stated. Ace had taught me that much. 

Marco returned in no time with a second copy of the contract. Nami took the copy and we went back into the Lobby, there was a camera lady waiting for us there. We took pictures with Marco and Edward, they were for the media no doubt, to announce the deal.   
Needless to say, we went back to Little Garden and Nami stayed the night in Alabasta. On the way back to Little Garden I got a text from Fai. 

_Did Law ever tell you when his birthday is?_


	39. October

**_♡_ ** _**Law♡** _

I woke up groggy and exhausted, and just plain horny. _I had a wet dream about Luffy._ And now I had to deal with this shit. I didn't have time for this, I needed to be at work. I ran a cold shower and dealt with that atrocity. I finished getting ready and headed for work.   
When I got there, I wasn't surprised to find my office decorated with birthday stuff. I smiled a little bit at that. There was no one there. 

"Suprise!" Penguin shouted behind me, clapping his hands onto my shoulders. Penguin pushed me into the office and party poppers blew over my head. Bepo and Jean Bart were standing behind two plants in the darkened office waiting for me to come in. 

"Happy Birthday!" The two yelled I blushed a little. On my desk, there was a tiny pie covered in whip cream with a candle at the top. Sachi stirred me in that direction Bepo lit the candle and they all started singing. _These idiots_.

When they were done I humored them and blew out the candle. 

"25, Law you're finally an old man!" Penguin said, hooking his arm around my neck. 

"Hardly," I muttered, pushing his arm off of me and putting the dessert in the small fridge in the corner of my office, Sachi and Penguin used it more often than I did. speaking of which...

"Where's Sachi-ya?" 

"I dunno," Penguin shrugged, I glanced over at Bepo, he shrugged too. I set my stuff done and gathered the things I needed to see the two patients I had. That was annoying, there were a few things I needed him to do. I set out to do my job, a few hours later Sachi actually bothered to show up. 

"Dude, run, Law's pissed," Penguin warned from the doorway. "L-"

"Shh, he won't be pissed for long," Sachi stated. Penguin had a huge grin, looking around the corner. What the hell were they talking about? Sachi came into the doorway.

"You're late," I muttered, not looking up from the pile of paperwork I was dealing with. I pushed the pile of things I had for him to do to the edge of my desk. 

"I try to do something nice for you and you go and give me extra work," Sachi muttered.

"It wouldn't be extra if you were on time," I replied. Penguin snorted in an attempt to mask his laughter.

"Yeah, okay, I get it, you can come in now," Sachi said to the door. I still didn't look up. 

"Happy Birthday, Torao!" Luffy's cheerful voice rang through my ears, I dropped my pen, I hadn't seen him in weeks. How did he even know? Did Fai tell him? Maybe Sachi or Penguin?

"Luffy-ya?" I looked up from the papers Luffy stood in the doorway holding a wrapped box. _He got me a present._

"Shishishi," Luffy walked over to my desk. "Miss me?" _Yes._

"Dude, boss it blushing," Sachi said, with a laugh, I blushed more. 

"Get out," I glared at both of the two. 

"Okay, okay, damn," Penguin said, pushing Sachi out the door and closing the door. I looked back up at Luffy. 

"Yes, I have missed you," I answered. Luffy smiled. I stood and went to Luffy's side of the desk. I tilted his chin up with my index finger. I studied his face for a moment, his eyes were as brown as ever, his lips slightly capped, I brushed over the scar under his eye with my thumb. 

"Whatchya waiting for? Aren't you going to kiss me?" Luffy asked. 

"You know, you're beautiful," I said quietly before pressing my lips to his. The taste of him was overwhelming, His lips were so inviting and kissable. Luffy set the present down and ran his hand up my chest and around my neck, his fingertips brushed over the hairs on the back of my neck, sending chills down my back. I had one hand on the side of Luffy's face, and the other around him. I pulled away, opening my eyes to find Luffy looking up at me. 

"You're better at kissing than I remember," Luffy said with a smile. 

"Yeah? Well, I've been practicing."

"What?" Luffy's smile fell, shit did he take that seriously?

"I'm only joking," I told him, kissing him again. 

"Oh," Luffy paused. "I got you something." Luffy picked up the box. 

"I see that," Luffy stepped back and gave it to me. 

"Open it," Luffy insisted. 

"Okay," I said, looking down at the paper, it was wrapped in a shiny silver paper, I found where it was tapped and started opening, careful not to rip the paper. Luffy watched me as I opened it. I peeled away the last of the paper. It was a book. The cover was light brown, like old paper, it clearly wasn't the original cover of the book, but it was elegant. _The Farseer: Assassin's Apprentice_ was scrolled onto the cover. 

"Robin was talking about it and it sounded really cool, and you like to read so I thought you'd like it," Luffy said somewhat sheepishly, he paused. "Do you like it?" Luffy tilted his head. 

"It's perfect," I assured, kissing him yet again. 

"Good," Luffy smiled. Love his smile. "Open it." I opened the front cover, on the blank page, in Luffy's messy handwriting, it said:

_Happy Birthday, Love_

I smiled yet again. "Thank you." I kissed him once more. 

"You're welcome," Luffy said. I checked the time on my phone. 

"My lunch break is in a little while If you don't mind waiting I can take you home then," I offered, setting down my book. 

"Okay!" Luffy smiled, I picked up the paper I had been filling out, all I had to do was sign it, and I did, in that messy "doctor's handwriting," when you have to sign your name a million times a day, anyone would get tired of it and devolve into scribbles. At this point, if my signature was a currency, it'd be worth less than dirt. 

"I'll be back," I told him. I finished up whatever I had that needed my immediate attention, so I could get back to Luffy. I returned to my office and Luffy wasn't there, also my present was gone. On my desk, there was a sticky note that was most definitely in Luffy's hand. He wanted me to go outside. I went outside and my car was sitting near the front of the building, Luffy was in the driver's seat. I walked up to the passenger side and tapped on the window, Luffy unlocked the doors and I got in.

"You're driving my car," I pointed out as I buckled.

"I am, Mr. Obvious," Luffy agreed, pulling forward and into the road. That was adorable to the point I didn't want to correct him. 

"Where are we going?" 

"It's a surprise," Luffy said. I rested my hand on his leg.

"Really?" I asked, tilting my head and watching him. It was obvious he didn't drive very often, he squeezed the steering wheel when people got too close and checked the mirrors more often than necessary. Interesting, I'd thought Luffy'd be a much more oblivious driver. 

"Duh," Luffy replied, he turned onto the highway. There wasn't much outside Flevance, a park on the beach, the old, burnt-down hospital, miles of unoccupied beach. Once there wasn't anyone around to hit us Luffy started speeding and did a shit job at staying in his lane. Luffy slowed down and pulled into a gravel parking lot. The old park. The place was empty and the grass was green but overgrown. My mind first went to ticks, they'd be all over the place here. 

"Tada!" Luffy declared. 

"How did you know about this place?" I asked out of curiosity. 

"Fai told me your parents used to bring you here," Luffy said. I nodded. "C' mon, there's lunch waiting for us." Luffy got out of the car, I followed him, as soon as we were out, Luffy grabbed my hand and pulled me into the tall grass. I stumbled over the uneven ground until the grass turned to sand, right next to us was the jungle gym, old, rusty, broken, and forgotten. I stared at it for a moment, recalling the times Lami and I had played tag, running through the obstacle course, kicking up sand and hiding in the slide. 

"Torao?" Luffy was pulling on my arm, he tilted his head at me. 

"Hm?" I turned to look at him

"This way," Luffy pulled on my arm, I followed him, getting sand in my socks and shoes. There was a large piece of driftwood sticking out of the grass that Luffy led me around, and on the other side, there was a blanket laid out and a styrofoam cooler sitting in the middle. "Birthday lunch date!" Luffy announced, jumping on top of the log. 

"Come here," I requested, Luffy jumped down and skipped over to me. I quickly wrapped an arm around him and pulled him into a kiss. Luffy lost his balance and leaned into me. He pulled away with a smile. 

"I really missed you," Luffy said, kissing me yet again, could I ever get enough of him? "I'm also hungry, so can we eat?"

"You need to ask?" Luffy's smile grew and he sat down on the blanket, opening up the cooler. There was a cut-up sushi roll, cut sandwiches, frozen bottled water, and Caprisun's in the cooler. I sat down next to Luffy, who was already unwrapping his sandwich. I picked at the sushi roll. Luffy finished his food much quicker than I did. 

Once he was done, Luffy scooted closer to me, wrapping his arms around me as I ate. I gave him some of my sushi and he was content. Luffy yawned against my shoulder and pressed his forehead onto me. I wrapped one arm around him, and Luffy leaned into my side. 

"Are you tired?" I asked. 

"No," Luffy yawned again.

"Liar." I started cleaning up our stuff, putting it all back into the cooler and closing the lid. 

"I don't wanna go," Luffy hummed. 

"C' mon," I insisted. 

"Carry me," Luffy argued. Fine by me. I pulled Luffy into my lap and scooped him into my arms, I got to my feet, carrying Luffy bridal style, he hooked his arms around my neck. I carried him through the grass and to my car.

We hadn't bothered to lock the doors so I opened it and set Luffy in the passenger seat then went back through the grass to collect our things, setting the sandy blanket and cooler into my trunk. I got into the driver's seat, Luffy had buckled up, I pulled out of our parking spot and got onto the road, Luffy grabbed my hand. 

He was asleep when we got home. I made sure the door was open and I carried Luffy inside then headed back to work.   
  


When I got home, Luffy and Fai were both watching TV, I went into the kitchen and put my mini pie into the fridge. I tossed the styrofoam cooler and threw the blanket into the dirty clothes. 

"Hello again," I said to Luffy, kissing his vulnerable neck. 

"Shishi, hi," Luffy tilted his head back and I kissed him again. 

"How long are you staying?"

"I have a flight to Wano the day after tomorrow," Luffy answered. Damn. 

"Alright," I ran a hand through Luffy's hair, he smiled up at me. 

"You two are disgustingly cute," Fai said, turning the TV up. "Peng is coming to kidnap us in about half an hour." There was no stopping that. Guess I'll go change then. "Bepo won't be there though, he's gotta work still."

Penguin came by with an empty car, and he took the three of us to Shakky's. As I walked in there were few in the bar, the largest group was the one that consisted of my friends. There was a cake sitting at our table, with 25 candles place in it without rhyme or reason, all lit up. The moment I walked in, my friends started singing while Sachi brought the cake to me. Twice, in a single day, twice. Luffy had his arms around me the entire time. 

"You guys are embarrassing," I stated while they finished. 

"Just blow out the candles, Torao," Luffy said. And I did. My annoying group of friends clapped again. 

We all sat down at a table and ordered drinks and food. 

"Luffy!" Penguin shouted out of now where he had several drinks by that point and I wasn't sure how drunk he was. 

"What?" Luffy shouted back with equal volume he wasn't as intoxicated as Penguin was. 

"The Strawhats signed with Pirate's?" Penguin asked with a normal voice, slurring some of the s'. I had forgotten about that, Luffy wasn't all that excited about it when he told me. 

"Yup!" Luffy grinned. 

"You guys sold out!?" Penguin seemed genuinely upset over the ordeal. Luffy frowned. 

"What? No." Luffy frowned and crossed his arms. 

"They censor artists!" Penguin said. 

"Not us, it's in our contract," Luffy said, leaning back against the seat. 

"Luffy, you'll be at the Pirate's Festival next summer right?" Fai asked, turning in her seat to face Luffy. Luffy pressed his hands flat on the table. 

"Yup, Robin's already working on the choreography for it, it's going to look awesome!" Luffy grinned and leaned forward, his voice got a little higher, his eyes revealed just as much as the rest of his body language how excited he was. 

"What day are you guys performing?" Sachi asked. 

"Dunno yet," Luffy responded. There was a flash of light that came from Sachi while Luffy spoke, I hadn't been paying attention to him, only to Luffy otherwise I would have noticed him trying to take a picture. 

"Why?" Was all I asked. 

"Let me see," Fai said, reaching for the phone. Sachi gave it to her. "Awe," she cooed, what could possibly be so cute? Luffy sure, but I doubt they had the same opinion as I did. 

"Look, Law," Fai showed me the picture, reaching over Luffy as she did so. The picture was of me and Luffy, and part of Fai's shoulder. Luffy was excited, might as well have stars in his eyes. I was simply looking at Luffy, with a small smile. 

"The way you're looking at him is precious," Fai stated, Luffy leaned forward on either, looking at the picture too. 

"Torao always looks at me like that," Luffy said. Like what? I didn't understand. 

"Boss, you're a lovesick puppy," Penguin stated. Luffy and the others laughed. Penguin reached for his empty glass to drink from, only to realized it was, in fact, empty. 

"More drinks?" He asked. 

"Absolutely," Sachi agreed, then everyone else too, I was still on my second. Today, Fai and Jean Bart were our designated drivers, though I volunteered because I knew I wouldn't drink to the point that I couldn't drive. 

Penguin was gone for a moment when Jean Bart chuckled and said, "Penguin's got himself an admirer." 

Sachi looked over in Penguins direction, I glanced over my shoulder, a blond girl was talking to Penguin, she laughed at something he said and touched his arm. I turned back to the table, everyone but Luffy had looked Penguins way. That was fucking subtle, good job, friends. Sachi had gone completely still, was he glaring?. Were they...?

I looked down at Sachi's wrist there was a black mark peeking out from beneath a watch that he always wore. No fucking way. I looked back at Penguin, he had bracelets that he always wore, covering the wrist that I could see. Penguin was coming back. 

I turned back to Sachi, he looked down at the table as Penguin sat next to him. Back to Penguin, I stared at his wrist a moment a black mark peaking through a wall of bracelets. 

"Holy shit," I muttered. 

"What?" Luffy tilted his head at me, his hand on my leg. 

"Nothing," I replied, I hadn't meant to say that out loud. I had known these two for years, how had I not noticed they had marks? Was it that I didn't believe them until I met Luffy? Or that they always covered their marks? Both maybe?

Even then, they hid it. I thought back on the little things they did, it was true they were always together, always knew where the other was... mostly, and they hadn't dated anyone in the time I've known them. 

Damn, how had I been so oblivious?

"Here you go," Shakky set down the glasses in front of us. "Enjoy." Penguin took a huge gulp from his glass. 

The rest of the night went as usual when we came here, we drank until someone threw up, in this case, it was Bepo, then our designated drivers took us home. Fai dropped Bepo off and then took us home. Luffy and I went straight to bed. 

It was early when Luffy's phone started to ring. It was loud and annoying. Luffy reached out in the dark looking for it, disturbing our comfortable position.

He hung up and rolled back over, laying his head on my shoulder. The phone rang again 

"I think they want you to answer," I mumbled. Luffy rolled back over and grabbed his phone. 

"Hello?" He mumbled, returning to my side. 

"So? He takes Chopper out late at night all the time," Luffy mumbled. I wrapped my arm around him. Luffy was silent for a moment. 

"Oh," Luffy said, his voice had become more alert. "You're sure?"   
Another pause, "We have to go get him." What was going on now? Great, now I was awake. 

"Are you going to change my flight?" I didn't want Luffy to leave at all, let alone sooner. 

"Okay," Luffy said. "See ya." Luffy dropped his phone onto my chest and took a deep breath. 

"What's up?" I asked, kissing the top of his head. Luffy shifted, pressing his nose to my neck. 

"It's confusing," he mumbled. 

"I think I can handle it," I assured. 

"Mm," Luffy hummed and went silent for a moment. "'Member what I told you 'bout Zoro?"

"Mhm." 

"He won't do it anymore for them," Luffy explained. "And the government didn't do anything for a while...but now Usopp is missing.

"Nami said he was with Sanji and they were coming back late and someone snuck up on them." 

"Shit," I muttered, Luffy hugged me tightly. He was worried, and all I could do was hug him. I wouldn't dare tell him that bullshit line 'everything will be okay.' We stayed like that the rest of the morning, Luffy feel back asleep eventually but I was awake still. I laid silently and watched my room get brighter as the sun came up, eventually, Fai woke up and I could hear here playing music is sounded like it was in the living room or kitchen. 

Luffy woke up with a deep yawn and stretched, nearly hitting my face. "Good morning!" Luffy was as cute as ever but I was far too tired for his optimism. 

"Morning," I replied. Luffy shifted onto his stomach, consequently, he was ended up on top of me. He ran his fingers through my hair and kissed the tip of my nose. What?

"Do you have to work today?" Luffy asked, still playing with his hair. 

"Nope." 

"So you're all mine?" Luffy tilted his head at the question. 

_I'm_ _always all yours._ "Seems so," I agreed.

"Shishishi." Luffy smiled and kissed me, this time on my lips. 

There was a knock at my door. "Boys? Are you up?" Fai called. 

"Yep!" Luffy called cheerfully. 

"Can I come in?" Fai asked. She walked in on us one time, and she's wasn't even supposed to be home. 

"Sure!" Luffy chirped. The door opened. 

"Look what I've got!" Fai announced with a grin, holding up three, small papers. Tickets in fact. 

"What's that?" Luffy climbed off of me and ran up to Fai. "Movie tickets?" 

"Yeah, look what movie." 

"Love, Simon?"

"Yep!" Fai said with a smile. At least a movie would be quiet. Preferably. 

"What time is it?" I asked, sitting up and rubbing my eyes. 

"Right now or the movie?" 

"The movie,"

"3:15." I nodded and got out of bed. I checked the time, it was 9:34 now. 

"Okay."

"Is there breakfast? I'm hungry," Luffy asked.

"I'll make you some food."

"Too bad I already beat you to it, there's eggs and warm tortillas on the counter." 

"Alright!" Luffy cheered. "You're the best." Luffy pulled Fai into a quick hug before running off to the kitchen. 

"You're grumpy today, you're never grumpy when Luffy's here," Fai said. 

"I've been up since around four so there's that," I muttered. 

"Oh," Fai said. "You're not having nightmares again are you?" I scoffed at that. 

"No," I stepped past her and went into the bathroom. I showered and ate, Luffy and Fai had already eaten. A few hours later we went to see the movie, which was a cute movie, and the soundtrack was alright. 

Luffy preferred action movies so it really didn't catch his interest. Fai loved it. We went out to eat and came home, I spent most the day in my room, reading the book Luffy had gotten me. The way the author built up the world in this story was amazing, there were a few gaps in the plot line but I blame that on the narrator being a child and not the author. I was only 30 pages in when Luffy came in, he wore a huge grin when he noticed I was reading the book he got me. 

"Is it good?" Luffy asked, putting himself into my lap. 

"Mhm," I hummed, continuing to read the book. Luffy scooted up, ducking under my book and between my arms. I lifted the book up and gave Luffy room to get comfortable. Luffy rested his head against my collarbone. I rested my book on Luffy. He wrapped an arm around me and slid his free and up my shirt, stopping at my rib cage. I kissed the top of his head and turned the page. I shifted the book to one hand and wrapped my arm around him. Luffy pulled out his phone.

A few chapters later, Fai came in, Luffy had left the door open so she didn't knock. 

"You guys wanna- oh, nevermind then," Fai said. 

"What?" I asked looking up at her. I had heard her but I didn't really listen to what she was saying. 

"I was gunna ask if you wanted to watch a movie but you two look content." 

"You don't want to watch a movie with Fai?" I asked Luffy. 

"Sure, but I wanna be with you," Luffy answered. 

"I can read in the living room too."

"Great! I really want to watch a movie." Fai laughed. I bookmarked my page and Luffy climbed off of me, the loss of his weight and warmth was like having a blanket torn off on a cold morning. Luffy and Fai went into the living room and I followed behind them. 

"What movie?" Luffy asked as we got to the living room.

"I thought you'd like Now You See Me," Fai went into the kitchen and started popping popcorn. I sat on the recliner with my book at hand, opening the footrest Luffy sat between my legs, leaning back onto my chest. Fai came back into the living room with a bag. I set my book resting on Luffy's lap. 

"I got some snacks," she announced, pulling candy from the bag, I turned to my book and found the paragraph I had left off on. I found myself immersed in the story immediately and was vaguely aware of Fai or Luffy. 

Fai tossed some of the candy and snacks she had to Luffy. He gladly took them and opened the package. I didn't care enough to notice what it was but it smelt like something gummy. Fai collected her popcorn and put it into a bowl before playing the movie. I rested my chin on Luffy's shoulder and read my book while they watched TV. 

When the movie ended Luffy had liked it, so Fai happily informed him there was a part two and that was watched as well. 

Fai and Luffy watched part of a TV show I didn't remember the name of and made it through four or five episodes before I disrupted Luffy by wanting to go to bed. 

He was insistent on staying by my side and went to bed with me. We laid in the darkened room for a considerable amount of time, Luffy fell asleep before I did, and it wasn't too much later before I fell asleep too.

The next morning I made Luffy breakfast and dropped him off at the airport, kissing and hugging bye and promises to call that was always kept. 

After dropped him off I made it back to my car just in time to see Luffy's plane take off.   
I waited I'm my car for a moment for no particular reason, then my phone started buzzing. I was getting multiple texts. I opened the text. The first thing was a picture of Usopp.


	40. Usopp

_**PART ONE** _

_**♤Luffy♡** _

It was pouring rain when I landed in Wano. Robin and Franky were waiting for me in the airport, both of them with wet hair and damp clothes, they must not have been waiting for very long. 

"Hiya, guys!" I greeted, running up to the two. 

"Welcome back," Robin said with a small smile. "How is Law doing?"

"He's good," I said. "Have you heard anything about Usopp yet?" Robin shook her head. 

"No, It's strange if the government was doing this because of Zoro I thought they'd send some kind of warning or letter, but there's been nothing."

"It may not have been the government," Franky suggested. 

"Sanji said they were wearing marine uniforms," Robin reminded.

"Yaow, but anyone can steal a uniform," Franky added. 

"Let's worry about that later, where are we meeting everyone else?" 

"Samurai's village," Robin said, leading the way to the doors. 

"That's a weird name," I stated, following her to the exit. Franky, Robin and I ran to the car, trying to avoid getting completely soaked in the rain. Franky drove to an area of Wano called Samurai's Village, It was towards the edge of Wano and furthest from the airport like Nami usually booked the hotels we stayed at. 

The hotel was nicer than the kind of places we usually stayed, It had a nice dining room next to the lobby, there was a small library in the lobby as well. We got into the elevator went up to the top floor. Robin and Franky opened our room door to a suite. It was like an apartment, there were two separate bedrooms with two queen beds in each room, a lounge with a futon and TV and a small kitchen area in the back corner of the place.

"Cool," I said with a smile, on the wall opposite to the door was a long window that held a view of Wano, covered in rain and mist. There was no one in the suite. "Where is everyone?" 

"Probably trying to find Usopp," Franky said. 

"Sanji spent all day in the neighborhood he and Usopp were walking in." 

"That's it?" I asked.

"Well, we have no idea where they took him, our best guess could be Marineford."

"I doubt the government would take him that far," Robin said, taking off her coat. My phone started to ring, then Franky's, then Robin's too. I dug into my pocket, nearly dropping my phone as I pulled it out. 

"Yo," I answered. 

"Luffy, I just found Usopp's goggles, near an old apartment building, it looks abandoned, Chopper is going to the hotel right now, you need to meet him outside and follow him here."

"Okay," I said, already heading for the door. 

"I'm going in."

"Sanji wait," I said.

"Why? He could be inside," Sanji's voice grew tense.

"I know, just wait 'til I get there, I have a bad feeling." I skipped the elevator and found the stairs, taking them two or three steps at a time trying to get to the bottom quickly. "How far is it?" 

"Walking distance, maybe five minutes away from the hotel," Sanji replied. 

"Okay, I'll be there," I promised, hanging up the phone. Just after I hung up my phone rang again, it was Law. 

"Hiya, Torao," I said starting to breathe heavy. Now wasn't such a great time but it was Torao, I couldn't ignore him. I hit the landing for the lobby and pushed the door opened and ran through the lobby, dodging an old couple and pushing past the front doors. 

"Hey, how was your flight?" He sounded tired, it must be early in the morning there. Chopper wasn't here. 

"Boring, I just got off, but-" Chopper barked loudly, coming around a corner and running towards me, he circled around me before head butting my leg in the direction he had come from. "I gotta go, Sanji found Usopp's goggles and-"

"I understand," Law said he was hard to hear over the rain.

"Okay, love you!" I hung up the phone and started sprinting down the sidewalk, Chopper ran ahead of me, leading the way. He turned a corner and darted across a street, a car came to a sudden stop and honked as I followed behind. 

"Be careful, Chopper!" I yelled, he turned another corner. My feet slipped on the wet pavement and I hit the ground, rolling into the street.

"Shit," I cursed. Chopper doubled back, making sure I was okay, the side of my leg was scraped up but nothing was bleeding. 

I pulled myself up and started running again. Chopper ran at my heels, he crossed another street with me right behind him and ran through an alley for several blocks before we found Sanji standing outside an old boarded up building holding Usopp's goggles. I stopped in front of him, doubling over with my hand on my knees to catch my breath. I only needed a moment before I could speak. 

"You're here alone?" I asked. 

"Chopper was with me," he assured, I guess that made sense. "Is there a way inside?" 

"Yeah, up there." Sanji pointed to a window on the second floor that was wide open, with nothing to cover it. I looked around, there was a ledge on the window in front of us, as well as a tall fence that ran along the edge of the alley. I backed up to the opposite end of the alley and ran for the wooden fence, using the movement to pull myself up to the top of the fence. I held onto the building for balance. 

"How the fuck?" Sanji muttered. I stretched my foot out and put my weight on the window ledge, the wood was warped and slick, my foot slipped. 

"Luffy," Sanji shouted.

"What?" I looked down at him over my shoulder.

"Watch what you're doing," He grumbled. I grabbed onto the lower window seal of the second-floor window and pushed off the fence. I pulled myself up, using the wall to get more leverage, I leaned over the window frame and got inside. I was completely soaked in rain, right through my clothes.

"Luffy!" Sanji called, I looked over the edge, Sanji and Chopper we watching the window. 

"I don't think we can get Chopper up here but you can get up here. What do you think Chopper, can you be a good guard dog?" 

Chopper barked in agreement, Sanji sighed and pulled himself on top of the fence and did the same thing I had done. I helped pull him up. The room we were in was dark, the only light coming from the window. The walls were covered in tagging and the was all kinds of things littered across the floor. Sanji pulled out his phone and turned the flashlight on. The was a door in the darkest corner, we went through it, slowly. Sanji took his time peeking around a corner before stepping out. 

I took a deep breath in. "Usopp!?" I shouted. 

"You dumbass!" Sanji smacked the back of my head. "Be quiet we don't want people to know we're here." I rubbed my head, his hit had stung a little. 

Sanji and I went through the entire apartment, then went to the next, and the next, every apartment on the floor, there were four of them, Then we went downstairs and looked, Usopp wasn't there either. We also checked the third and final floor, no Usopp. As we were heading back the way we had come in Chopper started barking. 

I ran past Sanji, clearing the stairs and bolting for the window, I looked out to see Chopper backed up against a wall, he was growling and barking, his wet fur sticking up. Sanji leaned over me. A man was standing in the alley, he was backing away with his hands up. He wore a long raincoat that covered most of his face and baseball cap. Chopper wouldn't be growling like that if it was just another random person walking down the alley. Sanji leaned over me. I swung my legs over the edge and jumped down, landing in a crouch on my feet, I felt the impact through my knees.

"Watch that dog, it's rabid or something," The guy warned. 

"No, he's not," I retorted, Chopped ran towards me and, stood between my legs, still snarling at the man. Sanji jumped down too. 

"Why is he barking at you?" Sanji asked suspiciously. 

"Hell if I know." The man replied. He started to walk away, but Chopper ran after him. He darted between the man's legs, knocking the guy over. 

"Chopper!" Sanji yelled. Chopper went for the man's pocket and pulled out a piece of fabric and brought it to me. It was Usopp's bandana. I turned the bandana over. It was definitely Usopp's. 

"Mind keeping your mutt under control?" The man snapped.

"Where did you get this?" I asked. 

"What are you talking about?" 

"This bandana belongs to my friend, how did you get it?" I asked again. Sanji looked down at my hands.

"It's just a bandana, you can get it anywhere." The man stood up but Chopper growled and knocked him back over. I marched over to him and pulled his coat bringing his face close to mine. 

"Why the hell do you have our missing friend's bandana?" I growled, staring the man in the eye. Then I realized who it was. A man that worked with Zoro. Kaku, I think. "What did you do with Usopp?!" Kaku swung his fist, his knuckles met my face. I dropped to my knees, trapping Kaku in a straddle, I swung back twice as hard. 

"Where is he?!" 

"Luffy, you're going to draw attention if you keep yelling," Sanji said. I ignored him. Kaku still hadn't answered, he threw me against the wooden fence and got to his feet.

I expected Kaku to attack me but he started running. He was the only shot we had at finding Usopp. 

I ran after him and tackled Kaku to the ground. He was at least a good a fighter as Zoro, so I was ready for him to fight back. Kaku twisted and threw me off of him again. 

"Just stop, Luffy," He yelled, sticking his hands into his pocket and walking away. 

"Tell me where Usopp is!" I got to my feet and grabbed his arm. Kaku yanked it away and sighed. 

"I don't know, they don't trust me enough to say," He said, not looking back at me. 

"Why were you here?" Sanji asked.

"On orders to clean up evidence," He sighed. 

"You don't have any idea where Usopp might be?" Sanji questioned, lighting a cigarette in the pouring rain. 

"No," Kaku said. He was believable enough to me. If he didn't know, then I didn't care. 

"No suspicions?" Sanji continued, Kaku was quiet for a moment.

"Tch, no," Kaku responded. Chopper went between my legs again, probably trying to get out of the cold rain, I'll make sure he has a warm bath when we get back.   
Sanji stared at him for a while. "I don't believe you." Sanji grabbed the back of his coat, dragging him down the alley.

"Chopper, Luffy," Sanji called, the two of us followed. Sanji led us to Zoro and Nami. They were down a random alley, Zoro was trying to pry a plank of wood off a door while Nami stood by, holding an umbrella and watching him, Kaku didn't even bother trying to fight back, he let Sanji drag him to Zoro. Chopper ran ahead of us, going straight to Nami.

"Awe, Chopper, what did Sanji do to you? You're soaking wet," Nami kneeled and scratched behind Choppers ears. Chopper shook water off his fur, Nami jumped away from him and noticed us still walking down the alley. 

"Who?" Nami asked. Sanji let go of Kaku. 

"Moss head," Sanji said, Zoro turned around.

"Kaku?" He asked before looking between Sanji and me. 

"He had Usopp's bandana," Sanji explained. Zoro and Nami both looked to Kaku. 

"You know where Usopp is?" He asked, glowering down at Kaku. 

"I already told them 'no,'" Kaku muttered. Zoro sighed.

"Clean up then?" Kaku nodded. 

"It wasn't because of you," Kaku said.

"What?" Zoro asked.

"Akainu made a deal with someone from the underworld, Joker," 

"That doesn't make sense," Zoro said. Joker? Wasn't that... Doflamingo? The hair on the back of my neck stood, Thatch's words came to mind, him telling me about Ace's death, and how much Law hates him. 

"I know, but he did, I don't know what the government profits from this, or what exactly Joker wants but they made a deal and this is the result of it, Akainu believed my report on you." I was at a loss for words. Mingo could hurt Usopp, or worse. What did he even want with Usopp? Kaku looked up at Sanji with a look that was almost a glare. 

"Can I go now?" It didn't sound very much like a question. 

"Yeah, Thanks, Kaku," Zoro said.

"Don't worry about it," Kaku muttered, walking back down the alley. I watched him go, he turned a corner and I looked back at Nami and everyone. 

"Well, we should head back before you all get sick," Nami decided, stepping past us. I followed along with the others. We made it back to find everyone already in our room. Chopper came in a and shook off his fur for the third time since we got out of the rain. 

I quickly went to my shared room and changed out of the wet clothes that clung to my skin. I threw them in a pile on the floor and got some comfy dry clothes to change into. Everyone in the living room area started talking, it sounded like it was about what just happened, I was there, I didn't need a recap so I found my phone and decided to call Law again. 

"Hey you," Law answered, I could hear his half smile that made my toes curl. 

"Hiyaaa, Toroa," I drew out the word in an almost hum. 

"Any luck finding Usopp-ya?" I rolled onto my stomach and started playing with the edge of the blanket. 

"No," I muttered. "But I'll find him soon, and I'll kick who's ever ass kidnapped him!"  
Law sighed. "Just be careful." 

"I can't promise that," I reached for a pillow and pulled it under my chest so I didn't have to lean on my elbows. 

"You're a pain in the ass, you know that?" Law muttered. 

"Shishishi, love you too!"


	41. Usopp

_** PART TWO ** _

_**♡Law♡** _

The next message was simply:

_Call me_

I stared at the screen. Usopp was a man I had met all but once, it hadn't even been a proper encounter, there were no introductions, he had just been in the same space as I had. 

In the photo, he was tied to a chair, his head down, but that fluffy ponytail was all I needed to recognize him. The number wasn't one I recognized. Why would they contact me about this? Who in the government could possibly know about mine and Luffy's relationship?

 _Doflamingo._

But that didn't make sense, ever since his alias was revealed the government has been after him. Then again, there were the bounties that Luffy had told me about. None of that made any sense. I sighed and called the number. 

It rang, once, twice, three times. 

"Hello, Law," Doflamingo said. Looks like I was right, but what reason could Doflamingo have for messing with the Strawhats?

"Doflamingo," I muttered. 

"Did you like the message?" I glared at the steering wheel. 

"What do you want?" I snapped. 

"You're going to go to the underground meeting with me, and you're going to start as you should have 6 years ago." The fucking nerve of this guy. 

"And if I don't?" 

"The government will pick off the Strawhats one by one, they're quite happy to do it too. That group has caused them some problems in the past," Doflamingo said with an amused tone. I stayed silent. Luffy was in danger again. I wanted to throw something, maybe a rock, maybe a temper tantrum, I didn't know yet. Was the only way to keep him and his friends safe, to do this?

That's the only option I'm left with? 

What if I just told Luffy instead? Trying to predict what Luffy would do was impossible. He rarely thought things through when life was normal, let alone in hazardous situations. 

"If I do?" I finally uttered. 

"The Strawhat goes free and unharmed, the government will leave them alone," Doflamingo explained. " _And_ , I will revoke the bounty I put on your strawhat."

Luffy wouldn't like me getting into the black market business. Ace, he had died by Doflamingo's orders, Luffy knew that. If he knew I was working with him...

He'd hate me. 

I'd rather he hated me and be well and happy and _free_ than miserable but loving me. As generic as that sounded. I should have been meaner when I attempted to break up with him, then he wouldn't have been pulled into this. God damn it. 

"Fine," I said. Everything was telling me not to, a sickening weight dropped into my stomach and my entire body went rigid involuntarily. 

"Good." Fucking shit, I could feel his smug grin the goddamned phone. 

"The meeting is right up your alley this year," Doflamingo started. "The old hotel in Flevance a week from today." My head dropped down, I closed my eyes, hating what I had just done. 

"What time?"

"8 am."

"I'll be there, when will Usopp-ya be let go?" I gripped the steering wheel for no apparent reason, the little energy that I had was gone, now I was just tired. 

"After the meeting." I hung up the phone. I won't tell Luffy, but I hoped he would realize it soon. I pulled out of the parking space and headed home. I didn't eat for the rest of the day, and I hardly slept that night, or the next, or the one after that and so on.

"Okay, that's it, intervention time!" Fai shouted. That's wasn't quite what woke me up though, it was because I needed to be at that meeting in an hour. 

"What the hell are you talking about?" I muttered, hugging my blankets close to my face. 

"Get up." She pulled on my blankets, exposing the upper have of my body to the elements. 

"Fuck you," I growled, rolling over with my back to her, even if she left though I wouldn't sleep now that I'm awake. 

"Up!" Fai yelled, hitting me with the extra pillow on my bed, Luffy's pillow. 

"What?" I snapped, sitting up and glaring at the woman. 

"You've been in a mood ever since Luffy left, you weren't this bad the last time," Fai proudly pointed out. 

"Maybe that's because I only got to see him for five seconds," I muttered, standing up and heading to my dresser. I'd much rather she believed Luffy's absence was the only thing bothering me right now. 

"Still, you should go out and have fun! You're allowed to smile when he's not around," Fai crossed her arms. 

"Obviously," I mumbled, pulling out clean clothes to change into. 

"That can't be all that put you into this mood," Fai said after some silence. "Did Doflamingo come back again?"

I scoffed. "No." 

"Law talk to me, what's going on?" Fai asked. She wasn't the best at trying to get me to actually talk to her. That's beside the point. If she had any idea what I was doing...

I'm not sure what was going to be more difficult, hiding this from Luffy or from Fai. Physically, Fai would be the hardest, she was living with me now, mentally, Luffy would be much harder. 

"Nothing," I answered, nothing you could do anything about.

"Law-"

"What? What do you want me to tell you? That Doflamingo spoke to me again? That I've been having nightmares again? Or flashbacks?" I snapped, spinning around to face her. "Because none of it is happening." That was the biggest fucking lie I had ever told Fai. 

Fai looked down, not saying anything, not moving, just staring at the floor. 

"I have somewhere to be," I muttered, stepping past her. 

"You're an ass," she muttered, leaving my room. She definitely wasn't wrong. I took a quick shower, made coffee, forced a granola bar into my stomach and headed for the old hotel, the very hotel Luffy had stayed at the first time he had come here. 

The hotel was quiet, not even a receptionist occupied the front desk. The only person in the lobby was Doflamingo, the very little food I had managed to eat was trying to remove itself from my stomach. 

"Good morning, Law," Doflamingo greeted. 

"Morning," I muttered as a way to fill the silence rather than feel awkward. At least not any more awkward than I already am. "Where is this meeting supposed to be?" 

"It's not for another half hour," Doflamingo paused and tilted his head. "I just needed to discuss some things with you." Doflamingo turned and headed towards the receptionist desk. I had no choice but to follow. We went into a big room with a large oval table it was empty, the table was bare save for a folder. Doflamingo took a seat in front of the folder and I sat next to him. From there we went over pricing, stock, suppliers, what problems they were dealing with and what countries and towns they were in, and on top of all that, the plan Doflamingo had for this meeting, which relied a lot on the reaction of the underground distributors had upon seeing me again. 

Yes, again, I had gone to these yearly meetings between the ages of 15 and 19 and all the little meetings in between.

Slowly, they all started to show up. There were the ones I knew all too well, Morgans, Du Feld, Umit, Giberson, Tamago, the Mountain Witch, Killer, Tesoro, and Linin. They were surprised to see me, their eyes darted back and forth between Doflamingo and me, they whispered to each other but said nothing to me. 

There were a few I was unfamiliar with, those I came to know as Stussy, Drug Peclo, Pekoms, and Ceasar. They merely looked at me curiously as a newcomer. Then there was Kaido, the current overlord of the underworld. He peered at me with curiosity, he has been nothing the last time I had seen him, barely worth being at these meetings. Now he had surpassed Doflamingo. 

"Surgeon, it's good seeing you again. Things must be getting interesting if your here." That seemed to confuse the newer people, though I doubt they were all that new. I said nothing in response. During this meeting, average prices were adjusted, and to mine and Doflamingo's favor due to my negotiation skills. 

I also got the underground shipping fees lowered on the products Doflamingo had an abundance of. Once price ranges were adjusted the group moved on to government issues, specifically the issues Doflamingo had, which went straight to Luffy and how that 'nuisance Strawhat's should be dealt with. Talking like this, negotiating, and everything else was second nature.

"No one touches Strawhat," I stated, glaring at each one of them, bringing the room to silence. 

"What was that?" Pokems asked, he had vouched for Luffy's demise, all the newer leaders had and nearly all of the older ones too. They glanced at Doflamingo. 

"No one touches Strawhat," Doflamingo confirmed. I let out a small sigh of relief. 

"Why?" Stussy asked. 

"There's too much public attention on him right now, especially with his random disappearance so recently." I started to explain. "And with the attack, they were falsely accused of, we could end up dealing with a heavy backlash." 

"He has a point, I'd prefer to leave the Strawhats alone, they've only gotten popular in the past year or so, but there was a run-in they had with the government," Morans spoke now. "The information is hard to find but they did some damage, it was afterward that they started gaining popularity." This forced the others to put thought into their words, all I could focus on was my heart pounding against my ribcage and Doflamingo watching me. 

"Joker, didn't you have a bounty on Monkey D. Luffy?" Stussy asked. I clenched my fist under the table. She should not be saying his name. 

"Yes, that's irrelevant now, I'm withdrawing it." Doflamingo waved the question aside. The topic shifted into bounties, updates, withdraws, new bounties, the works. There were more, smaller things discussed like, government spies, lost interest from buyers and rise in caution because of the Doflamingo situation. Then we parted, I had no intention of speaking with anyone, Doflamingo congratulated me and I went directly towards my car. 

"Surgeon was what Kaido called you right?" A woman's voice asked. Stussy stepped in front of me. I just wanted to be far away from here. 

"Yes."

"You're clever, too bad Joker already has a claim on you." Stussy lightly touched my arm. There was something incredibly unnerving about the way she said that. "You've got a way with words that would help me out a lot." Only when I have an actual plan. 

"Thanks?" I replied. 

"How did Joker get a hold of you anyway?" 

"What?" 

"How did Joker get you into the underworld?" She fixed her white hat, twisting her blonde hair between her fingers as she brought her hand back down. Should I tell her the truth? I didn't have a solid lie, besides she might talk to the others and find out otherwise. 

"He raised me into it," I said. 

"Oh?" She hummed. "Morgans said you used to be Jokers right hand about 6 years ago, then you just disappeared." 

"Sounds right." I just wanted to leave. The was a brief pause between us and I was already using it as a reason to leave. 

"Surgeon, is that short for something?" _Unfortunately_. I nodded. "What is it?" 

"Surgeon of Death." The Mountain Witch said. 

"Really?" Stussy still kept her eyes on me. "How'd that name come about?"

"Surgeon killed a man with a scalpel his first meeting," the Witch explained. Thanks for the reminder. "He was only 15 too, the guy was a spy that had nearly made it to the big meeting," she said it proudly as if it were her own experience. 

"Goodbye," I muttered going back to my car. 

"Oh wait," Stussy grabbed my wrist, forcing it upward and exposing my mark. 

"I'd like to leave." I tugged on my arm, not enough to force her to let go though. When she didn't let go I pulled again, her grip got tighter. I looked down at my arm, her eyes followed. 

"Let go," I demanded. 

"A mark?" She questioned instead. I pulled my arm free of her and left. I didn't go straight home, I didn't need any of them following me. Let them all assume I still lived in Dressrosa. I headed that direction until I was sure no one followed me, then headed back home, not taking a straight path there. Just in case. 

Fai was sitting on the couch reading the book Luffy had gotten me, I had finished probably two days ago and I had already ordered the rest of the series. She didn't say anything to me as I came in, and I said nothing to her. 

I set my keys, phone, and wallet on the kitchen counter before returning to my room. There was no going back from what I had just done. Everyone leading the underworld knew I was involved again, things are more than likely going to start growing more intense. I hated that I agreed to do this. I hated it so damned much. I never wanted to be involved in the black market again, and I never wanted to speak to Doflamingo or acknowledge his existence for the remainder of my life but here I was. Exactly where I started, and where I didn't want to be. 

"Yep, he's right here," I heard Fai's voice outside my room door. She opened it without knocking. 

"See ya later," she said tossing my phone to me. She didn't say a word to me. I look down at the screen. 

"Hey, you," I greeted. 

"Torao!" Luffy yelled in excitement no doubt with that adorable smile of his. "Guess what?"

"Hm?" I hummed, sitting at the edge of my bed. 

"We found Usopp!" Luffy declared. 

"That's good, is he okay?" I asked. 

"He's a little beat up but he's fine. It's weird though, he said they just let him go, but oh well," Luffy explained. 

"Huh." _I should act more concerned. What would_ _I_ _say if_ _I_ _didn't_ _know?_ "Do you know who it was, maybe you guys should report them to the police." 

"The police won't do nothing, it was the government," Luffy said as if it were obvious. 

"Oh." I had nothing else to say to that. 

"Well, it doesn't matter anymore," Luffy said carelessly. I wouldn't go as far as to say that. I let it go, Luffy was careless, and there was no point in arguing. 

"If you say so," I paused, "What'd you do all day?"


	42. Halloween

**_♤_ ** **_Luffy♡_ **

"No, Luffy!" Usopp smacked my hand away, the makeup on my face was already becoming uncomfortable and itchy and he wasn't even done yet. 

"It's annoying!" I complained, and it was. "Why do I have to wear it anyway? Aren't the costumes enough?" Usopp added more makeup to my face. 

"Not at a Halloween party hosted by Pirate's," Nami said. 

"Hold still," Usopp instructed. _I was being still!_

"Chopper doesn't like his costume very much," Robin noted as she watched Franky and Brook trying to dress him. Usopp gathered white makeup and added it to my face. 

"Are you almost done?" Nami got up from the mirror she was at and came over to Usopp and I.

"Wow! Usopp, it looks amazing."

"It'd look more amazing if you'd let me finish," he mumbled, adding, even more, makeup to my face. 

"Annnd...." Usopp drew out the word as he ran the brush over my chin. "Done!"

I turned to face the mirror and look at the artwork on my face. I was a skeleton, black and white paint covered my face and neck, the costume I wore was tight and was decorated in bones so it looked like I was only a skeleton. Sanji, Robin, and Brook were skeletons too. Usopp, Zoro, and Jimbei were zombies, Franky, Chopper, and Nami were broken toys. Nami a doll, Chopper a stuffed animal, and Franky a robot. The lights in our room flashed, we have five minutes before our show. 

"So cool!" I exclaimed before pulling out my phone and taking a picture of myself in a creepy pose. 

"Oh, here Luffy, you need to wear this out there, leave that one here," Nami handed me a straw hat that was all ripped up and dirty.

"Okay," I set my hat gently on the table I was sitting in front of and placed the fake one on my head. 

"Let's go," Sanji said, with that, the ten of us headed out. Chopper even had a part in our show, which was to run around biting at our legs and feet while we danced, when we practiced Chopper did a pretty good job of that so Robin included it. We all piled up backstage, the previous performers, which was a band, was just finishing up, the last of them shuffled off the stage while a set of drums was wheeled away. A person I didn't recognize stepped out on stage.

The crowd cheered. 

"Okay, everyone, be honest how many of you came here just for the Strawhats?" The man asked. A loud roar came from the crowd. 

"Do you hear that? That's the sound of money!" Nami claimed. Everyone else was smiling, we had gathered that many fans? That was so cool! 

"Well, lucky for you we have them here today, may I present you, the Strawhats, performing Your Worst Nightmare." The lights went dark and the guy hustled off the stage. 

"Remeber to wait for your counts everyone," Robin reminded. Franky, Nami, and Chopper went out first, they were on stage before the lights came on. The fog machine started pouring out fog, Props were being set up on stage, the music started. The stage techs retreated and the lights came on. 

"Luffy, get into your spot," Robin ordered. I nodded, heading down the stairs under the stage. There was a platform that was going to lift me up, this was so cool! Cheering came from the crowd, the other skeletons must have gone on stage. I got on the platform in a crouch, the space under the stage was small, too small to stand under but that was okay. The top opened up and I stood, fog poured down. More loud cheering, there were the zombies. The platform started to lift. The music got louder. 

When the platform came to a stop, I stood there unmoving, as was instructed. 

The crowd fell silent. Robin said she wanted me still long enough to convince the crowd I had gotten stage fright and forgot my part but no more than that. Soon muttering started before I started moving. The music was awesome, so it was hard for me to stick to the choreo Robin had taught me and even harder to not add in my own things to it. Loud cheering broke from the crowd and I made my way to the front. The lights went out again to be replaced by the black lights on the stage, leaving just my skeleton self to be shown to the crowd. 

Without the blinding light, I noticed a familiar face. Sabo was in the crowd, and next to him...  
Next to him was Torao! They had come to see us, I got so excited I nearly forgot the choreography. We were on stage a few more minutes, dancing and kicking ass at it. So several flips and jumps later the show ended and I took my hat off and tossed in in Law's and Sabo's direction. There was a huge gasp from the crowd and Law reached up and caught it in the air. 

"Guys, Torao and Sabo are here!" I exclaimed as we left the stage. I headed for the audience when Nami grabbed the back of my shirt and as stopped me. 

"You'll cause problems if you go out there, we can tell security to have them brought back here," Nami said. 

"But-" I argued. 

"You can wait a little while," Nami insisted. 

"Okay," I sighed and followed the others back to our room. Marco was there waiting for us. 

"You guys killed, the audience loved it," he beamed. 

"It was nothing," Robin said with a smile, her zombie make up wrinkling as she did so. 

"If that was nothing I can't wait to see the show you put on in summer," Marco said with a small smile. 

"Oi, Pineapple, Sabo, and Torao were out there and I wanna see them," I said. Marco looked at me wide-eyed for a moment. Zoro, Usopp, and Brook were trying hard not to laugh. 

"Little shit," he muttered, then turned to Nami. "You said you had three backstage passes?" 

"Three?" I echoed. 

"Yep, three," Nami confirmed. 

"They can come back here whenever they want," Marco explained. There was a knock at the door. 

"Come in!" Nami yelled. Security opened the door escorting Sabo and Torao. 

"Torao! Sabo!" I grinned and ran toward them, pulling them both into a hug. 

"Hey, the doorway isn't that big, move over," another familiar voice said. I let go of Law and Sabo to push between them and to hug Vivi. 

"Damn it, Lu," Law muttered. 

"Hey, you're going to ruin my sweater," she protested, pushing me back. 

"Marco?" Sabo said, drawing my attention back into the room. "It's been a while, how've you been?" Sabo grinned as he looked up at Marco. Torao caught my attention too, it had been a few weeks since I had last seen him, but only a few hours since I last talked to him. The bags under his eyes showed how little he slept. I'll make sure he sleeps tonight at least. I skipped over to Law, his lips twitched into a brief smile.

"That was pretty cool out there," Law said, I grinned.

"Yeah, you really think so?" I asked, grabbing Law's arm and leaning closer to him. 

"I just told you, didn't I?" He replied. I leaned closer to kiss his cheek but Law covered my mouth before I could. "You're covered in makeup." 

"So?" I asked, my question muffled by his hand. Law pulled his hand away and showed me his palm, his whole hand was spotted in black and white face paint. 

"Wash it off first," Law said. 

"If you say so," I said with a small grin. Law put his hand down and wiped the makeup on his jeans. I leaned over and kissed him, leaving marks on his cheek. Law frowned.

"Pain in the ass," he muttered. 

"Shishishi." I laced my fingers through Torao's holding his hand in mine. I kissed him again, leaving another set of marks right next to the other. 

"Will you stop that?" Law sounded annoyed. 

"Fine, just for now," I agreed. 

"Hey, Luffy get over here!" Usopp called. The others were in a big group now. I let go of Torao and joined them, Nami passed her phone to Brook, the tallest of us. 

"Smile!" She announced, I grinned at the camera while Brook took the picture. "Okay guys, we can head back to the hotel whenever you're all ready," Nami added. 

"You're coming with us, right?" I asked Law after returning to his side and holding onto his hand again. 

"Yeah," Law said, rubbing his thumb over the back of my hand. 

Everyone started to gather up their things and we all headed to the back entrance where a limo was waiting for us. All 13 of us managed to fit inside, we were a little squished but that's okay. We were dropped off at our hotel. 

"Hey, Lu, hang back a second," Sabo said, I let everyone go past me, Law glanced back curiously but followed the others inside, walking silently between Zoro and Chopper. 

"What's up?" I asked him. The limo pulled off and another car pulled up behind it. 

"I just wanted to let you know I can't stay long, I've got rebel stuff going on in the morning and I've gotta catch a flight." 

"Shishi, alright!" I grinned. 

"You did awesome tonight, you know. Ace would be proud." I folded my hands behind my head, blushing a little though it went unnoticed. 

"Yeah, I know." Sabo pulled me into a hug.

"See ya later, Lu."   
  


"See ya, Sabo!" I exclaimed, he pulled away and opened the car door. He got into the car, I waved as it pulled away.

I headed back into the hotel, the others were still waiting at the elevator, it looked like Nami, Jimbei, Vivi, Chopper, Robin, and Brook had already gone up. I grabbed Law's hand and stood close to him. The elevator opened up and the rest of us went in. Franky, Sanji, Zoro, Usopp, Torao, and me. 

This hotel we were staying at was really fancy, and Nami loved it. The entrance had huge gold and white arches and there was a big chandelier in the lobby. The elevator walls were all mirrors with dim lights in the ceiling and a wooden floor. Quiet music played in the background. We got to our room, we were staying in another suite. This one a lot bigger than the ones we usually stayed in, it had a living room, a small kitchen, four rooms, and a little balcony.

The room was just as fancy as the rest of the hotel with white, gold, and stained wood being the color scheme. I left Law to go to the bathroom and wash off all the makeup, it was really getting annoying. I changed out of my performance costume too and into more comfy clothes before going back into the living room.

It was chaotic, Usopp was on the phone, yelling about pizza, Nami and Vivi were not to be seen, Franky was tinkering with another contraption of his, it looked like a robot toy, Brook was in the corner trying to tune his guitar, Sanji and Zoro were arguing, Jimbei sat quietly on the couch, Robin sat at the bar in the kitchen, observing the chaos, Law sat on the couch, looking at my group of friends, mouth slightly open, I wasn't sure what he was thinking but he looked tense. Chopper laid next to Law with his head on Law's lap, which left me no space to sit next to him. I made my way to him and hugged him, he jumped at first, before realizing it was me. I kissed his cheek, discovering he had wiped off the make spots I had left on him earlier. 

"Is this the same dog you were walking that one night?" Law asked, playing with Choppers ears. I frowned, trying to remember what Law was talking about. 

"Oh, yup!" I smiled, remembering when Chopper was just a baby. 

"He was a lot smaller," Law noted. 

"Well, yeah he was a puppy," I replied. "Weren't you, Chopper?" Chopper groaned and yawned, stretching over Laws lap. 

"I don't think I'll be allowed to move for a while," Law concluded. 

"Shishishi, nope," I agreed. 

"Alright guys," Usopp announced over everyone. "Pizza's on the way." 

"Yes!" I cheered jumping over the edge of the couch and plopping onto the other side of Chopper. Law let out a small sigh. I wanted to sit closer to him but Chopper was in the way. Why did he have to steal my boyfriend's attention right now?

"Neh, Torao, are you hungry? I can go get you something to eat that doesn't have bread." I just remembered Law doesn't like pizza. Law smiled. 

"No, I'm not but thanks," he said stroking the top of Choppers furry head. 

"If you say so." I pulled my feet onto the couch and crossed my legs. 

"Chopper!" Usopp called. Chopper lifted his head and looked over at him. 

"You wanna go out?" Usopp asked Chopper glanced back at Law before standing and jumping off the couch. He stretched and trotted off to join Usopp, I scooted closer to Law, occupying the space Chopper had been and leaned on his shoulder. 

"This place is gunna be so much fun, I can't wait to show you," I told Law. 

"Where do you plan on dragging me off to tomorrow?" Law put his arm around my shoulders. 

"A lot of places," I said with a smile. 

"That's not very specific," Law retorted, he glanced around the room. 

"You didn't ask for specific," I said. 

"Little shit," Law muttered leaning closer and kissing me. The first real kiss I had gotten in forever too! Law pulled away way too quickly and I wanted more. I pressed my lips to his once more, wanting our kiss to last a little longer than the one before. Law still kept it short. That was hardly fair. 

"Torao, I want a real kiss," I pouted. 

"Not right now," Law countered. 

"But-" 

"Later, I promise," Law assured. 

"Fine." The door opened and Nami and Vivi came in carrying bags and movies. 

"Ooh, whaddya get?" I asked, meeting the two at the door. 

"Movies or snacks?" Vivi asked. 

"Yes." 

"Well, movies: Finding Nemo, Rampage, The Incredibles, Blockers, The Great Gatsby," Vivi started. "Snacks: Red Vines, Reeses, Gummy worms, popcorn, Doritos, and Airheads." I was getting hungry just thinking about all that food. 

"No pizza yet?" Nami asked. 

"Nope," I confirmed. "Okay, everybody!" Nami shouted. The others fell silent, turning their attention to Nami. Nami headed to the TV, I returned to Torao's side. Nami told everyone which movies we had. 

They picked the first movie to watch. Which was Rampage, then Vivi went to pop the popcorn. The pizza arrived just as Usopp and Chopper came back. The food was paid for and the movie was set up, snacks got passed around and everyone found a spot to sit for another movie night. Chopper laid between mine and Law's feet, Jimbei was in the same spot he had been, Usopp was on the couch next to me, Robin and Franky were on the other couch next to Jimbei, Nami and Vivi were sitting on the floor with a few pillows, Zoro and Sanji were on the floor too, so was Brook. 

We didn't get through very many movies that night, only about two or three of them usually we could watch all the movies Nami or whoever would get, but everyone was really tired, including Torao so everyone went to bed. 

I shared my room, like always, with Sanji and Zoro, and this time around, with Traffy too. Torao was warm and comfy, as always but he was a lot quieter than he usually is. Maybe it was all my friends he wasn't very familiar with, that must be it. I'll be sure he gets to know them better during this visit, maybe Robin, Franky, and Brook will want to come with us tomorrow!

The next morning the hotel room was cold, cold enough that my nose was cold. Law was asleep with his back to me, no wonder it was so cold! I scooted closer to him and poked his back. Law sighed in his sleep, I poked him again, Law rolled over to face me.

"I'm trying to sleep," he muttered quietly, still he wrapped his arms around me I pressed my face against his chest, he was so warm... Torao ran his hand through my hair, kissed the top of my head and rested his chin on the top of my head. Being near him like this was just so.... comfortable, that wasn't the exact feeling though, I couldn't think of the word. I hugged Torao, slipping my hand under his shirt. Law took a deep breath and shifted ever so slightly. We stayed like that for a while, I heard Sanji or Zoro get up, it was more than likely Sanji, Zoro likes to sleep in. Still, I didn't want to move and wake Law up again. I promised to make sure he slept better, didn't I? 

Torao held me close to him the entire time he slept. Sometimes his arms would just be resting around me and other times Law would hug me tight and close while he slept.

"Luffy? You're still in bed?" Sanji questioned, he had just come into the room. 

"Yup, shhh," I whispered. Law took a deep breath, for a moment I thought he had woken up. 

"Why?" He asked in a whisper. "Don't you want breakfast?" My stomach growled loudly. If I move Torao will definitely wake up. 

"Nope," I lied, "Torao's asleep." 

"Your stomach growled." Sanji walked towards me, I couldn't see him but I could hear him. 

"I can hear your stomach," Sanji said. 

"Well, I don't wanna move cause Torao will wake up," I stated, still whispering. Almost like he was responding, Torao hugged me tighter. 

"Fine, I'll save a plate for you and Law," Sanji muttered before turning back. 

"Shishi, thanks," pressing my forehead to Torao's chest. I laid there in mostly quiet boredom for a while longer. 

"Lu," Law muttered, an hour or two later, I looked up at him his eyes were partly open, he ran his hand up my back. 

"Morning, sleepyhead," I replied. Law kissed my forehead. 

"Hardly," he sighed reaching past me and picking up his phone. "You let me sleep until noon?" 

"Yup!" I chirped just as my stomach growled for the millionth time, reminding me of my empty stomach. 

"Did you skip breakfast?" Law asked. 

"Maybe."

"Why?"

"You would've woken up," I shrugged and smiled at him. "And I can tell you're not sleeping very much."

"I hardly deserve you," Law muttered, gently pressing his lips to mine for just a moment. 

"Sanji saved us food."

"I guess we'd better go find it," Law sighed and sat up. I jumped out of bed and stretched with my shoulders and back popping as I did. 

The living room was messy with the remains of everyone getting ready. The only place in the suite that was nice and clean was the kitchen. Sanji always made sure to clean up. The living room had clothing strewn about, a hairbrush was left on the TV stand, Usopp left his hat on the floor, Nami would come back later and probably pick up after everyone. She'd never admit that she did that, but everyone knew it was her.

Torao opened up the fridge. He pulled out two plates, one had a fairly large pile of bacon, along with pancakes, and scrambled eggs with a layer of cheese, the other was eggs, a normal serving of bacon, and sausage, no pancakes. Law turned to the microwave. 

"Wait!" I shouted to stop him. "You can't microwave Sanji's food!"

"It's cold," Law stated. 

"It tastes just as good cold, if you microwave it, it just tastes normal," I insisted. Law's first bite of Sanji's cooking can't be microwaved! I took a bite of the bacon Sanji had left for me, it was cold but it still tasted amazing. No fridge could mess up Sanji's cooking. A microwave could though.

"Okay then," Law muttered. He sat down next to me and picked at his cold food. 

He took a bite, I watched his reaction. 

"Okay, wow, I wasn't expecting that," Law said, I grinned. 

"See? Just as good!" I dug into my food. When we were done Torao and I got ready to go, I was so excited, I couldn't stay still. 

"You've yet to tell me where we're going," Law reminded me, I was waiting by the door for him, playing with the rental car keys. 

"Shishishi, you'll see," I assured.


	43. Media

_**♡** **Law** **♡** _

I wasn't entirely sure Luffy knew where he was going. We had been in the car a good 20 minutes now, nearing the edge of town. Big strip mall areas were giving way to open fields and unkempt land. Still, Luffy drove. My phone was gradually starting to lose bars but that couldn't be helped. Luffy turned down a curvy, uphill road. My phone started to ring. I watched it in the center cupholder next to Luffys for a moment Doflamingo. Of course, his contact in my phone wasn't under that name. I'm not that stupid.   
It was the caller ID for a private number. I hung up the call. Not now, I was with Luffy and that's all that mattered right now, I didn't want to think about what I've done. And most certainly not what I still have to do. I'll find a way out of this, I will. He called again, I still hung it up. Doflamingo called yet again. This time I hung up and turned my phone off. Not now. Luffy glanced at me curiously but didn't say anything.   
After another ten minutes, Luffy pulled to a stop next to an elegant looking building. Strange that it was way out here.  
"We're here!" Luffy announced, putting the car in park. We both got out of the car, Luffy took my hand and led me inside.   
The inside was just as elegant as it was outside. Huge windows exposed an amazing view of the city. It was so large you couldn't pick out any particular building, the green farming fields that surrounded the town faded into dry, dusty brown hills, which were beautiful in their own way.   
Luffy walked up to a podium, where a man stood behind it. Which brought up another question, why was a place like this way out here? Because of the view? The man led us to an elevator, he escorted us to the third floor of the building, which only left me curious as to what was on the second. The first appeared to be a restaurant. The doors slid open to reveal a greenhouse, with tall vine plants snaking up all the visible walls and grassy pathways that lead to a small fountain in what looked like the center of the room. Luffy stepped out of the elevator, the host wished us a pleasant time and descended with the elevator. Luffy grinned up at me, he had hardly said anything but he was obviously excited about this. I had to admit the place was beautiful though, and quite, there were other small groups of people here but they were hardly noticeable.   
"Whatchya think?" Luffy asked, we were walking to the fountain now, turns out that's not the center of the room.   
"It's..." I wasn't sure how to describe it. "Pretty cool, " I concluded dumbly.   
"Shishishi, I knew you'd like it," Luffy beamed and lead me past the fountain. There was a massive domed skylight above us, it was tinted as to prevent the sunlight from creating harsh lighting in the green room. Bushes surrounded a pavilion of sorts, this was definitely the center. Other couples walked through the place as Luffy and I did. The was an air to this place, a certain quality that created a sense of peace and clarity.   
Luffy stopped pulling me behind him and hugged my arm, leaning against me and looking up.   
"I like this place a lot," Luffy said quietly.   
"Any reason?" I asked, my voice was just as quiet, if I spoke any louder I might disrupt the serenity of the room.   
"Zoro brought me here the first time I had a nightmare around him. This was the first town Zoro and I went to after we started the Strawhats," Luffy explained. That was interesting, it always seemed like Nami was the one to kick-start Luffy's group.   
"Was it just you and Zoro-ya?" I asked, rubbing the back of his hand with my thumb.   
"Sorta, we met Nami in town," Luffy explained. "She stole my hat full of money and we had to chase her down."   
"Really?" That was something I wasn't expecting, I knew Luffy had a strange group of friends, but how does a relationship evolve from thief and oblivious victim to friends? Luffy nodded, looking up at the tall vines on the walls.   
"I wanna climb it," Luffy stated.   
"Don't," I warned.   
"Why not?"  
"I will pretend I don't know you and leave you here," I muttered close to his ear, Luffy frowned, unamused by my threat.   
"That's mean," Luffy huffed.   
"I don't recall saying I was nice." Luffy leaned against my arm, we walked under the low hanging branches of a young birch tree.   
"Of course you are!" Luffy insisted a little too loud, drawing attention from the other groups admiring the calmness of the room.  
"Shh," I nudged him gently with my elbow.   
"Whoops," Luffy muttered, we turned a corner to escape the sideways glances we suddenly earned and found ourselves strolling through the wispy branches of a willow tree. The tree itself was short, for a tree, still, it stood tall. We passed the trunk, scarred with the initials of couples who had done more or less the same thing as Luffy and I. We might have walked around that little garden for hours, even days perhaps, it didn't matter.   
When we left it was clear Luffy had further plans for the day. Our next destination was a strip mall. Luffy parked and jumped out of the car.   
"C'mon, Traffy," Luffy cheered.   
Luffy grabbed my arm and pulled me towards the buildings. We went inside and through a clothing store before going through another door and into a courtyard.   
It was filled with music and people. There were street dancers all over the place. It reminded me of downtown Dressrosa. Less black market-y of course.   
"This is where me and Zoro performed for the first time," Luffy grinned. I realized what he was doing now. He was showing me the places he loved. This town wasn't by any means Luffy's hometown, but it was definitely a home to him. Luffy and I started from one end and worked our way to the other, each street dancer had their own crowd. They had their own styles accompanied by an array of music. It was as chaotic as the aura that surrounded Luffy. We were there for hours as well. The place was the complete opposite of the garden Luffy had taken me to earlier.   
I never expected Luffy to hold things like photos and places so close. Luffy valued his friends and family more than anything else, and if he had places or photos to associate with those people he would value those just as much.   
"Oohhh, the takoyaki shop!" Luffy exclaimed, he grabbed my arm, yanking me towards the shop.  
It was a hole-in-the-wall kind of place with creaky old wood tables in the front and rickety plastic chairs. No one came anywhere near the place, which should have been a warning sign. Luffy, threw caution to the wind and ran up to the cash register and looked up at the menu that hung behind the counter. An old man stood with his back to us, Luffy looked up at the menu, practically drooling over all the food.   
"Torao, what do you want?" Luffy asked.   
"I'm not hungry," I said honestly.   
"That's impossible, we've been running around all day!" Luffy shouted, bringing a few glances towards us.   
"Luffy?" The takoyaki man asked. Luffy grinned.   
"Hiya, Hachi!" Luffy grinned and let go of my hand and moved closer to the counter.   
"When did you get into town?" This Hachi person asked he leaned onto t1he counter. Hachi was a relatively large man in size, but no taller than I in height. He had gray hair the stuck up in strange places, despite that he looked pretty young. Not as young as me or Luffy but too young to have a full head of gray hair.   
"Just the other day. We performed at that Halloween concert last night," Luffy said.  
"Oh, I see, how are Zoro and Nami?"   
"They're good, but we've got a huge group since the last time we were here!" Luffy said in excitement.   
"I'm not surprised, I've been keeping up with the Strawhats on social media." Hachi stretched his chin. "Someone new just joined you right? Jimbei?" Luffy nodded.   
"He's super fun, but he's quiet too," Luffy explained. Hachi looked over to me. I avoided making direct eye contact with the guy.   
"Who's your friend? I don't recognize him," Hachi asked Luffy returned to my side, grabbed my hand again and pulled me forward.   
"He's Law," Luffy hugged me. "My boyfriend." I blushed if it was caused by Luffy statement or the fact he was clinging to my side in public I couldn't tell.   
"It's nice to meet you, Law." Hachi held out his hand, with a smile. I shook it, Hachi didn't even try to get a look at my marks.   
"I'm hungry, whatcha got today?"  
"Quite a bit, feel like anything specific?"  
"Just meat!" Luffy said, letting go of me and finding a table to sit at. I sat across from him. Luffy grinned and looked around at the dancers. I watched him, he wore an unbreakable grin and watched the people in the courtyard with admiration. I wonder if he ever looked at me like that. If so, I was undeserving of such a thing. Hachi came back with a plate full of food.   
"That was fast!" Luffy said.   
"I had already been warming it since this morning," Hachi sat down at the table next to Luffy. Luffy grabbed a fork and dug in, still, he watched all the dancers.   
"Luffy, it'd be great to see some of that competition you caused the last time you where here, the place got pretty popular after you left. Its died down quite a bit since then." Hachi suggested. Luffy's eyes lit up for a moment.  
"That-" Luffy stopped himself, then glanced at me. "I dunno... I'm....busy." What made him think he couldn't do what he wanted just because I was here? Surely I hadn't done anything that would cause him to think that...  
"Not that busy, an extra hour here won't hurt," I stated. Luffy grinned.   
"You sure?" Luffy titled his head.   
"Of course, you can do whatever you want regardless if I'm here or not," I told him.   
"But-"  
"Go on, I'll watch from here," I insisted.   
"Hachi, you still have that speaker?"  
Ten minutes later Luffy had grabbed a spot between a girl spinning fire and one very sweaty dude. Luffy started up his music. A crowd drew around him quickly, most of it came from the audience fire girl and the sweaty guy had drawn. The girl dropped her flaming baton onto the pavement when she realized no one was paying her any attention.   
"Isn't that strawhat?" Someone asked, loudly. I found a certain pride in that. I turned my gaze back to Luffy, he was dancing very differently from how he does on stage. It wasn't bad, but I could see a pattern it. Luffy danced and phones were pulled out. Hachi grinned.   
"This place used to look like that with every dancer, people started here and worked their way up. Now people come here when they have nowhere else." Hachi stated. Interesting, changes like that usually took decades at least. Luffy kept dancing for a good three songs before he pulled a finishing move and the crowd cheered. Luffy took off his hat and offered it upside down to the audience, change was thrown into it. Luffy picked up his phone and speaker and ran back over to our table, sweaty.   
"Did you see that, Torao?" Luffy asked, slamming the speaker onto the table.   
"Yeah, I think you made some people a little angry too," I gestured to the fire girl marching behind Luffy.   
"What do you think you're doing?" She spat. I quickly discovered I don't appreciate her speaking to Luffy like that.   
"What are you talking about?" Luffy asked which heavy breaths.   
"Why would someone with you're talent be here? All you're doing is pulling crowds away from people who are already struggling!" The girl was furious, she stepped closer to Luffy. Okay, that was close enough lady. "You're Monkey D. Luffy! You're a big shot, you don't need to be here!" She took a step closer.   
_Too close._  
"Hey now, I was just having fun, I don't care about taking your crowd," Luffy argued, now Luffy was the one getting too close, they were in each other's faces at this point. The girl clenched her fist and pulled back. I grabbed her wrist.   
"I'd prefer you didn't do that," I muttered, letting go of her.   
"Stay away from here," she snapped, walking away.   
"What was that about? Sheesh," Luffy muttered, plopping back into his seat. Hachi sighed and looked around the place for a moment.   
"The dancers here have lost motivation, they don't care about competition, just that they make money," he explained. That was a bit of a paradox.   
"Huh," Luffy huffed and shrugged. Another person came our way. I was sure he'd be there to yell at Luffy but a guy wearing a green hoodie tossed a crumpled bill at Hachi.   
"The usual, if you've got the time," he stated, sitting down at a table next to us.  
"Of course," Hachi stood and went back to his hole-in-the-wall shop and started heating up more food.   
"Alright, Torao, there's one more places you have to see," Luffy declared, standing from his seat.   
"Okay, then, lead the way," I stood too and took Luffy's hand in mine. He grinned.   
"See ya 'round Hachi!"   
"Bye Luffy!" Hatch waved a spatula in the air. Luffy laughed and lead the way back to the car.   
He took me to the far end of town, the neighborhood wasn't too great, but Luffy pulled into the parking lot of an old motel. It was small and looked pretty cheap. Two cars sat in the parking lot, one near the office and one at the end of the lot in front of a room.   
"Tada, the first hotel I stayed at," Luffy announced. I grinned as an idea came to me. I'm sure Luffy only intended to show me the place and not actually go inside. If he had wanted anything else, well he wasn't shy about letting me know.   
"Hey, Lu," I said, Luffy gave me his full attention. I leaned over the center console and kissed him.   
"Heeyy, what was that for?" Luffy asked, tilting his head in the way that he does with a small smile spread over his lips.   
"I need a reason?" I asked.   
"Guess not," Luffy leaned in a kissed me, biting on my lip. Luffy hooked his arms around my neck and pulled me closer. A pointless feat really, it wasn't like we could get very close staying in the position we were in. I brushed my fingers over Luffy's knee and broke our kiss, trailing my fingers up his thigh, stopping before I got too high. I brought my lips close to his ear, making a point of kissing his neck as I did so.   
"We could always get a room," I suggested, sliding my hand up the front of Luffy's shirt and kissed his neck again, then bit his earlobe.   
"What do you mean?" Luffy asked.   
"Think about it," I knew Luffy wasn't that dense. I placed my hand back onto his thigh, slowing moving my hand up his thigh again, kissing his neck once more.   
"Torao?" Damn, what did I have to do for him to get it? Grab his damn crotch? I bit the warm skin of his neck and inched my hand up a little higher. Luffy let out a light gasp.   
"Oh," he finally uttered. "Why didn't you just say you wanted sex?" _Because that's vulgar._  
"Yes or no?" I said into his neck.   
"Okay," Luffy agreed. I smirked and unlocked the car. Luffy and I got out.   
Never, In my life did I expect to pay for a hotel room just to have sex with my boyfriend, or any other for that matter. But there was no way in hell I was doing it in Luffy's hotel room that he shared with eight other people.   
Luffy and I went up to the office, which was similar to a movie theater box office. We asked for a room, received a judgmental look from the receptionist, paid cash, and headed to the room. It was in the center of the building, far away from what appeared to be the only people there.   
I closed and locked the door behind us. Luffy waisted no time once we had privacy, he pressed his mouth to mine and pulled me by my shirt, I didn't even get to see the quality of the room itself. Luffy set his attention on my waistband, slipping his hand between the fabric of my clothing and my skin, Luffy pushed me onto the bed, our lips only parting for an instance. We landed onto the mattress with a bounce, Luffy straddling my lap. I slipped my hand under his clothes, taking in the sensation of his warm, soft skin under my fingertips. He pushed me onto my back, his hand lingered, drifting from my shoulder to chest, making the clothing separating our skin an infuriating contraption. Luffy's hands found their way beneath my shirt, pushing it up, exposing my skin to the cool air of the motel room but Luffy's hands were so warm, and that's all that mattered. Onto the floor, my shirt went and Luffy traced the shape of my tattoos, leaning forward and his wet lips met the skin of my collarbone. My hands found the pants zipper. I undid Luffy's pants and pulled his shirt off, that too met the floor.   
I pressed my palm to the center of the scar, the tarnished skin was something beautiful in such a morbid sense.   
"Torao..." my name left Luffy's lips in a sigh, he took my hand in his, taking it from his chest and kissing my fingertips.   
Luffy rocked his hips against my own, leaving me with nothing but the roaring fire of lust. Luffy, of course, didn't stop there, he repeated the motion, over and over, his chocolate brown eyes only reflected the lust that rushed through my veins. Luffy rushed to remove my pants, forgetting I was wearing shoes. I kicked them off to help him out. Luffy started to take care of his own clothing.   
"Hey, that's my job," I said, sitting up and pulling on his waistband, freeing Luffy of what was left of his clothes. Luffys lips met mine again, were they softer? Maybe just more kissable. Luffy hooked his arms around my neck and rolled his hips against mine. Moans left us both, it was absurd that Luffy, just by kissing me, still made my heart pound with a force that caught in my throat. Our lips parted with panting breaths, Luffy stilled himself and pressed his forehead to mine.   
"I love you," I panted.   
"Shishishi, I love you more!" Luffy grinned and kissed me again.   
"That's to be seen." I kissed Luffy's neck, his collarbone his moans were intoxicating. His hips didn't stay still very long. Luffy's hands wandered lower and lower, passing the edges of my tattoo and below my belly button, and even lower.   
He stroked my dick, and action that should have been expected, but still, I was startled, my head fell back and moan left me.   
"That's not very loud," Luffy said quietly. Luffy climbed off of me and got onto his knees on the carpet in front of me. He pushed apart my legs and kissed the inside of my thigh, getting closer and closer.   
"Damn tease," I muttered in a half moan. Luffy, without warning, took my dick into his mouth.   
"Fuck," I moaned. Luffy looked up and bobbed his head I ran my fingers through his hair each time he made me moan I balled my fists into his hair, he'd let out hums that traveled up my spine and gave me chills. Luffy took me out of his mouth and ran his tongue up my dick, his hooded eyes on mine the entire time. Luffy made his way back into my lap, he positioned himself so our chests were pressed together.   
"We don't have lube," I realized. Luffy pressed his lips to mine.   
"I don't need any," he hummed.  
"You thinks so?" I asked. Luffy kissed me sweetly.  
"As long as it's you," He hummed, lowering himself onto me with sinful moans, was he louder?  
Luffy slid his hands up my stomach and chest, over my shoulder until his elbows rested there, he looked at me with watery eyes. Everything about him was such a damned turn-on, his slightly chapped lips that were far too kissable, his soft, warm skin that was pressed against mine, the lustful gaze he watched me with, his hot, tight ass that was absolutely perfect. I let my fingertips trace his spine, Luffy tipped his head back and moaned, leaving his neck open, I pressed my lips to it and my hand found Luffys ass. I ran my tongue over his skin and bit the flesh just as I squeezed his ass. Luffy moaned more I bit down a little harder and he moaned a little louder. Luffy shifted his weight, moving even closer to me. Luffy stated moving in my lap, we both let out moans. Luffy moaned again against my ear. I continued kissing his neck, being sure to leave a mark. Luffy moaned louder and louder, his hands moved to my back. I wrapped my arm around Luffy, pressing him to my chest, and put Luffy on his back. I started thrusting into him.   
"Toraooo!" Luffy moaned loudly, his voice reaching my very core. Luffy dug his nails into my back, he moaned even more, throwing his head back and dragging his nails down my back.   
"Torao!" Luffy yelped as if I had hurt him, I stopped. I stopped with heavy breaths.   
"What's wrong?" I asked lightly pressing my lips to his.   
"I scratched you," Luffy muttered, panting just as much as me.   
"That's fine," I hummed kissing him again and thrusting into him.   
"Ahhh, Traffy, wait," I stopped again, per his request. "Didn't it hurt?"   
"Yes," I said, kissing his neck again. "But..." I press my lips to his earlobe, "I like it." I thrusted into him again, I was growing impatient with every passing moment there was no friction. Luffys moans were even more erratic and lustful. There was that familiar build up. Luffy dug his nails into my back again. Luffy moaned out my name, yelling into my ear, as I came into him. I pulled out of him with a grunt. And dragged my fingers down his body, over his chest and stomach, down to his still hard dick. Luffy moaned when I touched him. I pumped my hand around his dick and started kissing my way down, leaving pink marks all over his chest, I kissed down the center of his stomach and to his dick. I looked up at Luffy, he had propped himself on his elbows to see me. I ran my tongue up his dick, not putting too much thought into my actions. I took the entire thing into my mouth. Luffy moaned and ran his fingers through my hair, pulling on it everytime I bobbed my head. It didn't take very long to make Luffy cum.   
I looked up at Luffy and I swallowed every bit of it.  
Luffy and I slipped under the covers of the bed. I knew Luffy was going to fall asleep no matter what. Might as well be in the bed we paid for. Luffy laid his head on my chest, drawing circles with his fingertip onto my skin.   
"Ne, Traffy?" Luffy muttered, followed by a deep yawn.   
"Hm?" I ran my hand down his back.   
"How old were you the first time you had sex?" Now, that was a question from absolutely nowhere.  
"Probably 16 or 17, why?" Luffy shifted.   
"I was just curious since you didn't have any marks before me..." Luffy paused, "Who were they?"   
"You really want to know?" I asked him, somewhat amused by the question.   
"Yeah," Luffy said, I could hear the sleepiness in his voice.  
"Just a girl I went to school with, she had a red mark for me, " I explained.  
"You slept with someone you didn't love?"  
"I thought I loved her," I said with a shrug. Luffy was quiet. Had he fallen asleep?   
"Weird," he sighed. Maybe just a little weird. But not as strange as having five marks. Luffy yawned and shifted again, being particularly squirmy this time around. Was he trying not to fall asleep? Luffy wrapped an arm over my torso and settled back into the space between my side and arm.   
"You're not tired?" I asked, knowing damned well he was barely awake.   
"Nope," Luffy lied, yawning and pressing his nose to my neck.  
"Liar, c'mere,"  
"I'm already here," he mumbled.   
"Closer," I insisted. Luffy pushed himself up and laid on top of me, our chests pressed together. I wrapped my arm around him and ran my hand down his back. Luffy yawned again, still fighting to stay awake.   
"Lu, just go to sleep," I said.   
"I wanna stay up with you," He muttered.   
"I'll be right here when you wake up," I promised. It was only a few more minutes before he as fully asleep. I was tired too, I was always tired, sleeping next to Luffy usually helped with that. I fell asleep too. I woke up to a phone, that definitely wasn't mine.  
"Answer it..." Luffy groaned sleepily. It's not like the damned phone was just sitting on the bedside table. It was on the floor somewhere. We hadn't given a shit about them earlier.   
"Can't," I muttered, Luffy was still laying on me after all. Luffy stumbled to the end of the bed, doing a very bad job as not exposing himself. He reached over the edge just as the phone stopped ringing. Not a minute later it started up again. Luffy returned to his place with me and passed the phone to me, though it was his phone.   
"What?" I mumbled into the device.   
"Oh good, it's you," Nami said.   
"You need to stop whatever you're doing and bring you and Luffy back."   
"Why?"  
"Trust me on this one, keep Luffy from looking at his phone too."  
"Fine," I muttered and hung up the phone.   
"Mugiwara-ya," I ran my hand down his back again.   
"No," Luffy pulled the blanket tighter around him.   
"Nami-ya wants us back, I'll drive," I offered.   
"But that means we have to get dressed and I can't cuddle with you while you're driving." Well, he had a point there.   
"We can back at the hotel."   
"I still have to get dressed," Luffy muttered.   
"Yep, now get up," I ordered.   
"Wait!" Luffy yelped, pushing himself up. He leaned over me and kissed me. "Good morning!" He grinned.   
"It's 5 in the evening," I informed him. Luffy got up, the absence of his warmth was not something I expected to miss. Luffy and I got dressed and headed out, I didn't worry about checking out for two reasons, we had paid cash, and we checked in only a few hours ago.   
We returned to the hotel room, Nami was there at the kitchen counter she smiled at us as we came in, her hair was tied up and she was working on something on her laptop.  
"You two have fun?" She asked.   
"Shishi, yep!" Luffy chirped.   
"Can I see your phone?" She asked, not looking up from her laptop.   
"Sure," Luffy pulled the phone from his pocket and passed it to her. She set it on the counter and closed her laptop.  
"I'm also going to barrow Law," she said, standing up and making her way towards us. Why?  
"Go find Zoro and Usopp to dance or something," Nami ordered.  
"But you said I could spend the day with Torao!" Luffy argued.  
"Change of plans," Nami snapped, she grabbed my arm pulling me in some direction or other. I was still stuck on trying to figure out what was going on when Nami pulled me into her room and closed and locked the door behind us.  
"What?" I asked in confusion. Nami showed me the screen of her phone. It was a screenshot sent to her. Probably Luffy too.  
"Nami!" Luffy yelled from the other side of the door. The doorknob jiggled and Luffy banged on the door. I focused on the screen. It was a picture of Luffy and I at the garden, we were holding hands, Luffy leading me through that tree. The caption underneath reading:  
 _STRAWHAT LUFFY SPOTTED!! And who's the hot guy with him???😍  
_ That was annoying. I'm sure if they asked for a picture Luffy would have agreed, this was a complete invasion of our privacy.   
"Other than it being an invasion of privacy, I don't understand the need to hide that from Luffy-ya."  
"Exactly," Nami stated, collecting her phone. "Luffy is going to freak out when he finds this, he's going to become really clingy and protective of you." Nami's words alone weren't all that terrifying, it was the way she spoke, something had happened in the past to get her reaction.   
"Why?" I folded my arms over my chest.   
"Luffy never wanted you on the media like that, he doesn't want our fan's attention on you," Nami explained. Then why didn't he tell me?  
"Alright, guess I'll ask him why myself," I muttered.   
"Wait, Law!" Nami snapped.  
"He'll have to find out eventually and I see no reason to keep it from him," I countered, turning to the door.   
"Law! This is how one of his marks became a scar," Nami hissed. I stopped. _What?_


	44. Courting

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There are mild mentions of suicide in this chapter if anyone needs a summary, please let me know, if no one needs it I won't be making one

**_♤_ ** **_Luffy♡_ **

I sat at the couch and rested my chin in the palm of my hand. Nami and Torao have been there for almost ten minutes, I tried to listen to what they were saying but all I got were snippets of Laws voice and Nami yelling at me to go away.   
I just wanted to be near him, why was that so hard? The door opened and I sat up straight. Law looked annoyed but that was all.   
"Law!" Nami snapped, following him. What the hell happened in there? Law didn't even look at me, he just went to our room.   
"Pain in the ass," Nami muttered. I followed Law, when I entered he was sitting at the edge of our bed with his elbows rested on his knees and hands at his chin with his fingers interlocked. He was staring at the ground.   
"Hey, what was that about?"   
"Nami-ya wants me to do something I won't do," he said, I sat on the bed next to him.   
"Like what?" What could Nami possibly want from him?  
"Lie to you," Law hadn't moved, but he held his eyes shut for a moment before looking at me.   
"About what?" What would Nami have to do with something like that? None of this made sense.  
"The reason she took your phone," Law shifted and pulled my phone from his pocket and gave it to me. "Someone took a picture of us at the garden and posted it online."  
"What?" I mumbled I looked at my phone and opened a random social media app. I was tagged in I picture by our fans, it was the one Law was talking about. My blood ran cold. There hadn't even been that many people there, who could have possibly taken that picture? I scrolled through the comments, there were far too many. But I had to make sure. I opened another one, Twitter this time. The picture was 6 on trending. I checked the comments and retweets there, still too many to properly go through all of them. Why didn't I realize going out with Torao would be a bad idea? Especially here where we've been for nearly three weeks. Law wasn't staying very long so at least if he was away from me he'd be safer.  
What was I supposed to do now? How was I supposed keep Law from coming into contact with people that admired me and the others when they were all over the place? Nothing stood out in any of the comments, or tags. Still, my stomach churned at the thought. What if I missed something?  
"Torao, can I see your phone?" I asked. He gave me a strange look but passed it over. He had turned it off earlier. I turned it on. He had a few missed calls from a random number, I paid it no mind and scrolled through his social media. No one had figured out who he was, not yet anyway. Nothing about the picture popped up, other than it saying I was tagged in something. It was only a matter of time before someone went through my follower or friends lists on something and found him.  
"Find what you're looking for?" Law asked. I shook my head and gave his phone back to him. "That good or bad?"  
"I don't know yet." I clenched my fists and sat silently. I hated them, our fans, they didn't care when things were personal, they didn't care that I cared for someone.  
"Hey, it's no big deal, it's just a picture and the internet will forget about it in a few weeks," Law said, he brushed my bangs back and kissed my forehead.   
"I know, but..." it was just a picture, as long as that's the only picture that ever gets out then Law's right. And just because it happened with her, doesn't mean it will happen now.  
"C'mere," Law said quietly, opening his arms for me. I moved onto his lap and wrapped my arms around him. His arms were around me and he hugged me tightly.   
"If I recall correctly, I do believe I promised we would cuddle as long as you wanted once we got back," Law said, kissing my neck.   
"You did," I agreed. We shifted, moving higher up on the bed to lay down under the covers. Once we were situated I slid my hand under Laws shirt and pulled it off.   
"What, exactly, are you doing?" Law asked after the fact, I pulled my own shirt off.   
"It's comfier this way," I answered. I dragged my fingers over his skin down to his pants and unbuttoned and unzipped them but stopped there. I did the same to my own and took my place next to Law, laying on his chest. Law ran his hand down my back, the action made my worries melt into nothing, Law had a way of doing that. It was odd. Sometimes he'd run his fingers down my spine and it would be comforting, other times it was purely sexual.   
I was surprised that Nami never barged in demanding to keep Law from telling me about the picture, and I didn't get why she wanted to hide it. I would have seen it eventually.   
"Lu," Law said quietly. "Nami-ya mentioned something, about your marks."   
"What?" I peered up at him   
"It had to do with social media," Law said.   
"Oh." Shirahoshi...  
"I am curious what she meant by that..." Law kissed the top of my head, you don't have to tell me, of course."  
I thought about it for a moment, I've already told Torao about Ace and he didn't get jealous or angry over that, so it'd be the same, right?  
"Shirahoshi was my third mark..." I started, not entirely sure where to go from there.   
"Mhm?" Law hummed, rubbing my back.   
"She wanted to see the world, but she was scared, so I brought her with me all the time from town to town. We were just starting to get attention on the media, and they thought she was a strawhat like the rest.  
"But somehow our fans found out I was dating her, they started being mean to her, saying all kinds of things about our relationship, I didn't know what to do or how to make them stop." My voice cracked somewhere in there and Law continued to rub circles into my back. I took a deep breath before saying the last part. "She killed herself because of it." I bit my lip as I felt the building pressure of needing to cry. Part of me hated her for doing that, another part of me hated every single one of our fans. It was confusing to think about and even more confusing now. Law didn't say anything, he only hugged me tighter and kissed the top of my head again.   
"That won't happen here, not with me," Law said quietly I pressed my forehead into his chest. "I promise."   
I nodded and hugged him close. "I love you so much."  
"I know, I love you too," Law said sweetly, running his fingers through my hair. My phone buzzed again, I reached behind me and grabbed it. I had a text from Marco. I twisted around, my back to Law to read it.   
"What is it?" Law hummed, kissing my shoulder.   
"Marco sent me something," I opened the message and Law kissed my shoulder again.   
"Marco?" He questioned.   
They were screenshots of posts put up by fans on all kinds of different media.   
One of me and Law at the mall, a few different ones actually.   
"Who's Marco?" Law muttered, kissing my jaw this time.   
"He's the one that brought us into the Pirate's Company, he used to be Ace's friend too."  
"Mm," Law hummed.   
After all the pictures there was another text.   
_Pineapple: It didn't seem like you wanted this on the media so I thought you should know,_ _take_ _care Luf_  
I sat up and looked at each screenshot, the first one was from Twitter, it was a blurry and distant picture of Torao and I talking as we walked through the mall, holding hands. It had some overexcited caption on it in all caps and a lot of emojis. The second screenshot was on Instagram, it was me and Law sitting with Hachi at his shop, with only emojis for a caption.   
The third was a picture from the garden, but we were standing outside, getting into the rental car. I hated them. Every single picture. I didn't care how cute Law's half smile was. Every picture only made my heart beat faster, and not in the way Law did when he kissed me. I looked at the final picture, it was taken in the parking lot of the hotel, through the front window of the car. We were kissing, making out really. I hated it, I wanted to punch the person who took the picture, at least three times, once for being a creep, twice for taking the picture and the third for posting it. I shouldn't have taken Torao out, we should have just stayed inside a cuddled and watched movies all day instead.   
"Lu, babe, you okay?" Law asked, running his hand up my back and giving me chills. I felt the bed move, then arms wrapped around my stomach and Law rested his chin on my shoulder, his beard was rough and scratchy, all I could see was that damned picture.  
"Oh," Law hummed. "Lu-" Law turned my chin so I was looking at him and not my phone. He kissed my cheek, that's when I realized I was crying.   
"It's really just a picture, nothing's changed," Law pecked my lips.   
"But some creep took the picture! And now other creeps can look at it and leave nasty or mean comments on it and-!" The more I spoke the angrier I became. It wasn't fucking fair, no one else had to put up with this bullshit!  
"Lu, I don't like it either, but the only thing we can do is request to have it taken down," Law wiped a tear from my face with his thumb. I nodded. "Let me see your phone."  
I handed it over to Law, he turned it off, not just the screen, but completely off so I wouldn't get any more messages or notifications. Law set it on the table between the two beds and moved back to the middle.   
"C'mere," he ordered. I crawled over to him, climbing into his lap, laying with our chests pressed together. Law pulled the blanket up around us and hugged me.   
"Let's not think about it right now."  
How exactly was I supposed to do that? Law dragged his fingers down my spine.   
Oh.   
I hummed in satisfaction, that just felt so nice it sent goosebumps crawling over my skin. It was as good as Law washing my hair, if not even better, and the way Law did it made my toes curl. Law kissed me, gently, like he thought I might break. He hugged me even tighter. We stayed cuddle close together for a long time, I was comfy enough to be lulled to sleep by Torao's breathing.  
I woke up with the absence of Torao's warmth. I stretched my arm out in front of me, searching for him and came up with nothing but cool sheets. I reached behind my as well, met only with the edge of the bed.   
"Torao?" I muttered, yawning and rubbing my eyes. I slowly opened my eyes and looked around, Zoro and Sanji were sitting on the other bed, quietly watching TV together, and Law was nowhere to be seen.   
"Where'd Torao go?" I asked. It took a moment for either of them to respond.   
"I think he said he was going for a walk," Sanji said, not looking away from the TV. My attention was drawn to it too. They were watching _Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles_ and seemed very into it. I think I'll tease Zoro about it later.   
"Oh," I stretched my arms up until my shoulders popped, then arched my back until that popped to, the curled my toes and rolled my ankles until those all cracked as well before sitting up.   
"What time is it?"   
"Mmm," Sanji hummed, reaching for his phone. "Just past eleven."   
I'm not going to sleep very well tonight. Torao's out pretty late then, oh well, I doubted he went very far.

* * *

  
  


_**♡**_ _ **Law♡**_  
I woke up groggy and feeling like shit, I've definitely slept too much today. Luffy was asleep on my chest, though he wasn't laying on me like he had been when we first fell asleep. The TV turned on, that's what must have woken me up, Zoro and Sanji coming into the room. Luffy rolled over onto his back, I almost thought he had woken up. I reached for my phone and was reminded of Doflamingo's calls. Then I realized the number of times Doflamingo had tried to call earlier. I glanced over at Luffy, who was peacefully sleeping, looking content and simply beautiful. I took this as my chance to get up. I pulled on a hoodie and used the bathroom before leaving the room, asking Zoro and Sanji to let Luffy know were I went if he woke up.   
I left the hotel room without a word to anyone else. I headed for the elevator, waited until I was about a block way before actually looking at my phone. I had accumulated about 15 calls from Doflamingo. At this rate, I wouldn't be surprised if he showed up right here or was back at my doorstep. He hated being ignored after all. I finally called and Doflamingo answered within moments.   
"Hello, dear nephew," Doflamingo answered. I wasn't annoyed until he spoke.   
"What the hell do you want?" I bit. Doflamingo actually _laughed_.   
"I've worked out an arrangement I need you to follow through on." He started.   
"What?" I grumbled, turning as a loud truck passed me along with a small group of people.  
"Before all that, I'm kind of curious..." Doflamingo paused."How is that strawhat in bed?"  
"That's none of your business you fucking perv." I snapped, revolted that he even asked a question like that. Part of me knew he was just trying to mess with me.   
"You take everything so seriously," Doflamingo mused.   
"What's the deal?" I asked before he could continue.   
"The small ones are usually loud." I felt my face heat up. Luffy was loud but Doflaming didn't get to know that.   
"I am not having this conversation with you, or anyone else, what arrangement did you make?"   
"I'm glad you asked." Doflamingo was definitely smirking. "Stussy has a certain admiration for you, and she has a lot of power in the market, having her on our side would be a great help," he explained. "You courting her would give us a huge advantage."  
"No, absolutely not." My thoughts went to Luffy, there was no way in hell I would do that to him.   
"I'm not giving you choice here."   
"I don't fucking care, I'm not doing that, find someone else."   
"I'm afraid your the only one, Law." Doflamingo hummed, my gut twisted.   
"No," I refrained from shouting given my surroundings.   
"Trafalgar Law," Doflamingo's voice got deep and threatening when I was a teenager I often mistook it for a 'dad voice.' "Do remember, exactly, how you got into this situation to start with."  
I felt a specific rage when I came to the realization Doflamingo was using Luffy against me. I wasn't sure who it was aimed at either, Luffy for being a target, myself for letting him get too close to me, or Doflamingo for threatening me. I should tell Luffy. Tell him why I'm helping Doflamingo, why I'm in this position. Then there was Ace, what would Luffy say? He knew Doflamingo was the reason Ace died, as well as a few others, so what would he say when he found out I'm helping him...?  
Or, when he found out I had been working with Doflamingo and hiding it? How did I get myself into a hole this deep?  
"Law?" He phrased it as a question, but I could hear that triumphant smirk in his voice.   
"If I refuse?" I asked. Doflamingo was quiet, leaving me to come up with all the scenarios and conditions that Doflamingo could set. The man had complete control over me, it was like I was 16 again, trapped in that house, with the barred windows and the high expectations.   
"I haven't decided, I don't think I'll touch strawhat yet, no I'll save him for something I really want from you, his friends, however, they're all fair game," Doflamingo spoke casually as if they were characters from a novel or pieces in a game. "The assassin is one worth messing with, he might be a little difficult to handle, but when you've got the government working in your favor, what could go wrong?"   
He'll do something to Zoro if I didn't do this, Luffy's closest friend. Doflamingo had used the word courting, that doesn't inherently mean a romantic relationship, I can still figure out a way around this. The thought still made me sick to my stomach, Luffy was all I wanted, all I needed. I didn't want to ruin the relationship I have with him, but... as cliche as it sounds, I'd rather Luffy be happy and doing what he loves while hating me than getting stuck into whatever came of Doflamingo's actions and still loving me. I closed my eyes, I can still find a way out of this, I know I can.   
"Fine," I said bitterly, instantly feeling a nauseating wave of guilt consume every facet of my body. It's for Luffy, to protect him, I had to remind myself of that.   
"Good, then you'll arrange it so you have a decent dinner with her, or whatever young people do these days, by the end of the week," Doflamingo stated.   
"That's not possible," I grumbled, briskly walking with no real destination, the passersby took to getting out of my way regardless.   
"And why's that?" Doflamingo sounded annoyed.   
"I'm staying with Luffy-ya through the weekend and into next week," I begrudgingly admitted, the less Doflamingo knew of my life the better, so I preferred to not tell him anything.   
"Guess you're leaving early then," Doflamingo mused  
"Jackass."  
"Watch your tongue Trafalgar, I'll be sure to get Stussy's number to you." The phone went silent. Leaving me alone in my nihilistic self-hatred over what I've done and what I just agreed to. Luffy truly is better off without me.   
After all of that, I couldn't just go back and lay in bed with Luffy like all was well. It wasn't and Luffy had no idea, and that was killing me. Luffy deserved so much better, he deserved the truth, and I wasn't worthy of his trust. I kept walking, I went in a circle around the block two or three times, then headed back to the hotel, thinking I had worked up the ability to go in there and act as nothing happened. I couldn't. I walked by it and circled another block a few times before finally going inside the building. I tried my damned best to prolong my return to the room, I walked slow and opted for the stairs rather than the elevator, I may have taken a good ten minutes to actually get to the door, with a deep breath I walked into the room, the living room was empty and dark, understandable. It was probably getting close to midnight, I hadn't been in any hurry to get through my walk, nor to get up here. I moved as quietly as I could, slipping into the room I shared with Luffy and his friends. Zoro and Sanji were asleep, and Luffy sat at the end of our bed, full attention on the TV while re-runs of a cartoon played.   
"Torao!" Luffy greeted me with a trusting smile, I pushed away all thoughts of Doflamingo and Stussy and simply focused on Luffy, who was quite possibly the love of my life. I sat down next to him, Luffy smiled and kissed my cheek, then leaned on my shoulder. 


	45. Trace

**_♤Luffy♡_ **

Torao and I fell asleep late, dawn started to creep through the curtained window of the hotel room just before we did fall asleep.   
"Luffy!" Nami shouted, throwing the door open. I jumped awake from her shout.   
"Evil witch," Law mumbled into the bed sheets.   
"What?" I grumbled, curling closer to Law, it was just too much effort to do anything else.   
"Shit," Nami cursed under her breath and let out a long sigh. "Nevermind, I forgot Law was here." Law shifted and slipped deeper under the covers, he wrapped his arms around me, pulling the blankets up too. I felt him kiss my forehead. I was to busy trying to fall back asleep to open my eyes. Law brushed his fingertips down my spine in that way that sends goosebumps crawling over my skin and I just melted into his arms. I moved closer to him and was ready to fall back asleep with him next to me.   
"We should get up," Law said, his voice deep and raspy.   
"No," I hugged him tighter and pressed my forehead to his chest.   
"It's already nine," Law sighed, running his fingers through my hair, that felt nice.   
"It's only nine," I corrected, Law sat up, leaving me with the ghost of his presence.   
"Torao!" I exclaimed, I just wanted him next to me.   
"Get up, we can go out for breakfast, maybe convince Sanji-ya to make us something at his stand," Law suggested.   
Food. When even was the last time I ate? Too long ago.   
"Only because you said we could get food," I grumbled, sitting up next to him.   
"After I take a shower," Law added once I was already up. Damn him. "You're welcome to join me." Law left a trail of kisses on my neck before getting out of bed, he gathered clean clothes and headed for the bathroom. I could go back to sleep, though, if I went with Law I could stare at his tattoos, he'd wash my hair again, that sounded nice, and we'd get breakfast that much sooner. I decided to get into the shower.   
After Torao and I were done, we went into the living room, Nami was tapping away at her computer, it looked like she had been up all night.   
"Luffy, could you come here?" She asked when she heard us come in. Though it was phrased as a demand. I went up to her and leaned over her shoulder. She had an email pulled up, it looked like it was my email.   
"I got some of those pictures taken down, not all of them, but I'm still waiting for responses," she explained, clicking out of the email. She scrolled through tags, showing only the picture of Law and me at the garden and one of us at Hachi's in the mall. I grinned.   
"Thank's Nami!" I hugged her tightly. Nami smiled but didn't say anything in return.   
"We're going out to breakfast, do you want anything?" Law asked.   
"No, I already ate," Nami said. With that Law and I left.   
I wanted to find Sanji and ask him to make us food, but I was starving and I had no clue where he was. So, with that Toroa and I found a restaurant not too far away from the hotel since we walked and ate breakfast. After that we walked around town, I was tired and probably only got a couple hours of sleep but Law insisted we couldn't fall back asleep until after 10 pm so he found stuff for us to do around town until everything started to close, which was between five and seven. We got back to the hotel and everyone was back, I was exhausted but Torao still wouldn't let me crawl into bed and sleep, he told me if I was as tired as I said I was then I'd pass out in the living room with everyone else just as easily. Sanji and Usopp were talking about something quietly, I wouldn't have noticed if it wasn't for the fact that I was staring into space in their direction. Sanji turned to Zoro who nodded with a smirk.   
"Yo, Nami," Usopp motioned her over to him. Nami went, he muttered something to her and she lit up with a huge grin.   
"Hey everyone," she grinned and looked to the others. "Who wants to go to the bar?"  
I just wanna go to sleep. "That sounds fun," Jimbei grinned. Franky thought about it for a moment and nodded.   
"I think I'll stay in for tonight, Chopper will want some company anyway," Robin said with a small smile.   
"I'm going to stay in too," Brook added. "What about you two?" Usopp looked over at Torao and me.   
"Sure," Law said. Of all the times Law preferred to stay home and lounge around I wish this was one of them.   
"But-"   
"I've hardly gotten to know your friends Luffy-ya, it's only fair for how much I've dragged you out with mine," Law reasoned. God damn it. Why did he make so much sense?  
"Fine," I crossed my arms over my chest.  
"Great, I think I saw one a few blocks away, so we can walk." Nami smiled.   
"Awesome! That means no designated driver!" Usopp declared.   
I slipped my sandals on and followed everyone out the door. We went down the elevator and through the lobby onto the street. There were still lots of people out on the streets, many of them probably, doing the same as us. We walked down the street, Torao held my hand in his as he talked with Jimbei. Torao seemed to get along with Zoro and Jimbei the most, Nami the least. He hadn't talked much to Franky, Usopp, or Brook, actually, I think he even avoided Usopp, but maybe that was just me thinking that was the case.   
Nami led us around a corner and down a block or two more before leading us into a bar. This bar was weird. It wasn't like anyone I had ever been in, actually, it was more like a nightclub than anything else. But there was no security guard to let people in, and there were tables and things that would usually be in a bar, along with a dance floor, black lights, flashy lights, and loud music.   
This will be really fun!   
We managed to find a large enough corner booth to sit at. I was a little surprised when a waiter came up to us and asked if we'd like anything to eat or drink. But what surprised me the most was the waiter that came up to us.   
He looked like Ace.  
All I could do was stare at him as he spoke, he even sounded like Ace. The only thing that was different was that his freckles were all wrong.   
"Luffy?" Usopp's hand waved in front of my face brought me back. "What do you want to drink?" I felt a blush creep up my face.   
"Screwdriver," I uttered, looking down at the table, it was the first thing that came to mind, I remembered it had been Ace's favorite drink. Ace and Sabo loved to sneak vodka and find as many drinks they could possibly make from it. The guy wrote out the order and asked Law what he wanted.   
Law glanced between me and the waiter as he ordered. Did Torao see me staring at him? Probably, Torao was good at noticing that stuff. Law put his arm over my shoulders as the waiter moved on to Zoro, who was sitting next to Law. I looked down at the table again.   
"What's wrong, Luffy?" This came from Usopp.   
"Huh? Nothing," I replied at least I thought that was true. Usopp seemed satisfied with my answer. I glanced back across the bar but looked back to the table all too quickly.  
"Hey, Law, did Luffy ever tell you about how he got that scar below his eye?" Usopp asked with a grin.   
"Oi! How do _you_ even know that?" I blurted.   
"Sabo told me," Usopp shrugged and looked back to Law.   
"I don't think he did," Law replied with a small grin.   
"Well, let me tell you then."  
"No! That's embarrassing!" I protested. Usopp had the other's attention now.   
"Alright, one fateful day, many years ago, Usopp started. "Luffy met a man, a street dancer, known as Red Hair Shanks," I looked over at Law, his was listening intently to Usopp's, his lips made a small 'o' at the mention of Shanks. "Now, this is not where our story comes into play, but it is important to understand the rest, you see, Luffy, being only seven springs old, found this Shanks and his group to be exciting, captivating even.  
"Shanks spent several weeks in Luffy's hometown, and when it came time for those travelers to be on their way, Luffy begged Shanks to take him with them." Law smiled but only a little.   
"Of course, Shanks would never take a kid around the world, so Shanks told Luffy to prove he was a man and he might consider it." Usopp paused. "So, Luffy, found a knife, who knows where, found Shanks just before he was leaving, and to prove he was a man, stabbed himself."  
"Seriously?" Law asked Usopp nodded while laughing along with the others. That was such a dumb story, I was just a kid when I did that, but Sabo loved to remind me of it, and apparently my friends too.   
"I guess we're even now," Law said while the rest were calming down. I was confused at first but then I remembered the tattoo on his back.   
The waiter came back with a tray full of drinks he called out each drink as he set them in front of us, he only brought out five drinks with him though, informing us he'd be back with rest and walking away. I found myself just staring at him again, mostly his freckles, the things that made him different from Ace. Ace's were splattered across his nose and cheeks where this waiter's were all over the place, he had freckles on his forehead, chin, cheeks, nose, everywhere. He spoke like Ace did to, not his voice or what he said but the way he spoke was so similar. The waiter came back and I took the time to read his name tag. Trace. I didn't notice Law had his hand on my leg until he pinched me, not enough to hurt, but enough to get my attention. He glared at me before responding to something I think Zoro had said. The waiter walked away again and my gaze lingered on him.   
"Oh, this a good song, let's go dance!" Nami suggested, Usopp jumped up ready to go, Sanji too, they all started to scoot out of the booth I was about to go too when Law grabbed my arm as everyone else left.  
"What the hell was that with the waiter?" Law asked, his voice was low and his gaze intense.   
"What?" Did he think I was checking the guy out or something?  
"I'm not stupid," Law muttered, he let go of my arm but didn't say anything more, neither of us did.   
"Well?" He asked after some silence.   
"He just looks like Ace," I said. Law looked down the walkway of tables to see if he could find our waiter. I noticed him talking to costumers at a table close by. Law sighed and turned to me he pressed his lips to my forehead.  
"Do you want to stay here?" He asked.   
"Shishishi, duh," I said, grabbing Law's hand and pulling him with me to the dance floor where everyone else had gone. "Hey, Torao?" A sudden thought had come to me.   
"Hm?" He hummed, which I could hardly hear since we were getting closer to the music.  
"You were jealous, weren't you?" I grinned as I asked him.   
"Tch," he turned away and I dragged him into the crowd, going into the middle where all the energy and fun would be.   
"You were," I insisted.   
"Obviously, my boyfriend was staring at another man," Law admitted, speaking just loud enough for me to hear him. I started to move gently to the music, it was by no means and gentle song though.   
"You're not anymore?" I asked. Law shook his head an grabbed my hand. He dragged his fingers over my marks.   
"When it comes to your scars I can't be," he said. "It's hardly reasonable either way, they're d-" Law stopped speaking, his eyes had wandered down to my wrist.   
"Luffy-ya," He said, running a single finger over the space next to his mark on my skin. I looked down.   
_Oh._  
There was a mark there. A red one.   
"What?" I stared at the mark in confusion. Why? I love Law, why was that there?   
That wasn't fair. Why did it have to be that damned waiter? Surely it was only because of how much he resembled Ace...  
"Torao..." I mumbled. Law grabbed my hand and pulled me out of the crowd, and then out of the building.   
Outside there were a couple of waiters on break, one of them was smoking with his back to us, two others stood near him. Torao ignored them and led me to the other side of the door, which wasn't all that far from them.   
"It'll go away right?" Law asked quietly, glancing up at me, but his eyes were glued to the mark on my wrist.   
"How am I supposed to know?" I asked.   
"Do you want it to go away?" Law asked.   
"Yes!" I replied immediately.   
"It's red, it can't possibly stay very long..." Law tried to reason. I nodded.   
"It must only be because he reminds you of Ace-ya." Law continued. There was a long bit of silence between us.   
"What are you going to do?" Law's voice was quiet, almost shaky.   
"Nothing, even if it were black I'd pick you," I said honestly. "Torao, I love you."   
"I know," Law said, finally looking up at me  
"I love you too," Law's glanced over to the direction of the waiters before kissing me softly. Of course, I kissed him back.   
"You still want to stick around?" Law asked. I nodded. "Good, 'cause your friends will probably be looking for us by now."   
Law grabbed my hand and locked our fingers together, leading the way back into the bar.   
"There you are!" Usopp shouted as soon as we were within sight of our table. He and Nami were the only ones there.   
"Everyone is looking for you guys out there," Nami motioned to the dancefloor with he cheek pressed to her palm and a bored expression.   
"Oh," I hummed, sitting next to Usopp and reaching across the table for my drink. I took a large gulp, temporarily forgetting how vodka burns. At least it wasn't so bad with the orange juice.   
"Those idiots! Can't find them anywhere, they're probably making out in-oh," Sanji came up to the booth with Zoro and Jimbei not too far behind.   
"Care to finish the sentence, Sanji-ya?" Law asked with mild amusement.   
"I'll pass," Sanji said. "Scoot," Torao and I scooted deeper into the booth, taking our drinks with us. Sanji, Zoro, and Jimbei filled up the rest of the space.   
"Oooh, how 'bout we play a game?" Nami asked, rocking her half-empty glass on the bottom's edge.   
"A drinking game?" Usopp asked.   
"Well, duh," Nami said. "A combination of two games really, either one alone is boring....but..."Nami was quiet for a moment, she turned looked around just as our waiter was walking by, she got his attention and asked if they had a deck of cards and refills on all our drinks. Trace nodded and promised to return with them. While he did that Nami explained the rules of the game, it was a little confusing but she said I'd understand soon enough. The waiter came back with the cars and I didn't dare look at him. I knew if I did I'd just stare at him again. Nami thanked him as he left. Nami shuffled the deck after taking the jokers out and set it in the center of the table. By the time she was done Trace came back with another tray full of drinks, this time he fit all seven on one tray. He set them in front of each of us and Nami pulled a card.   
She held it up for all of us to see but her.   
"Black," she guessed.   
"Yep," Usopp said.   
"Alright, 13." She thought for a moment, "Never have I ever...." everyone put their hand up...." slept with the opposite sex," she stated with her hand up. I put my hand down, so did Law and Jimbei and Usopp.   
"All four of you thirteen sips!" Nami declared.   
"Luffy, your turn." I picked up a card from the middle and showed it to everyone but myself.   
"Red?"   
"Nope," Sanji grinned. I flipped the card over to see it. An ace of spades.   
A took a single sip from my drink and set the card on top of Nami's  
"Zoro next."   
"Tch," Zoro drew a card.   
"Red," it was red.   
"Never have I ever, gotten a tattoo."   
Torao, Nami, and Jimbei drank.   
"Law, your up." Law drew a card and guessed it right.   
"Never have I ever...." Law thought for a moment, "cat-called a stranger." Sanji sighed and took ten sips. Sanji picked up a card he guessed it right.   
"Never have I ever.... had a bedroom injury."  
"Shit cook," Zoro muttered taking sips from his glass, Law did too.   
"Your turn, moss-head." Zoro went and guessed wrong then called Usopp to go.   
"Never have I ever lied to my partner, about something serious," Usopp said with a grin both Nami and Zoro drank. It was Nami's turn again. She shrugged and guessed her card right.   
"Never have I ever attempted suicide." Jimbei and Law drank. I was a little surprised when Law did it.   
"Ooh, Jimbei, you haven't gone yet!" Nami exclaimed. Jimbei agreed and drew a card.  
"Never have I ever dated someone older than me." He said with a small smile. I drank, so did Sanji. We continue on until our second glasses were completely empty, Law and Zoro both ran out at the same time, then it was me, then Sanji Usopp and Nami, leaving Jimbei the winner. From there we danced for a while and drank some more. I was starting to feel tipsy after the game, and Toroa told me I should drink water for a little while but I don't remember listening to him. At that point I let the music take over and moved with it. A really good song came one and a small circle formed around me and Usopp we were dancers, what could you do?  
"Torao! Baby, dance with me!" I shouted, he was standing at the edge of the circle, looking very beautiful he shook his head and watched Usopp land a flip. That was pretty cool.   
I joined Law in the circle and watched Usopp, cheering erupted in response to his movements.  
"Torao! Please!" I yelled, wrapping my arms around his neck and pressing myself against him. Law shook his head and removed my arms from his neck, instead, locking our fingers together and leading me away from all the people. I bumped into something, or someone, I wasn't sure, and let go of Laws hand. I reached out for him again but he was gone. What? How? I looked around the place and couldn't see him or anyone else I came here with, not even Jimbei, and he was taller than Law! I was halfway between the dance floor and the tables and people were moving in all kinds of directions around me, every place I stepped I was bombarded with people. I managed to make my way to the table where I still had half my drink left, I think it was my fourth or fifth glass?  
I took a drink from it, sitting on the edge of the bench. The waiter came by picking up some empty cups at our table. He smiled at me. his stupid smile was like Ace's. How come he got it when Ace was dead? He stole it!  
"You kept staring at me," he said just as he was about to leave. I shrugged and nodded, not looking directly at him. "And now you won't even look me in the eye....why?"   
When he asked that I considered it through his point of view for just a moment. He was just having a normal day work and here I come treating him all weird. I'd want an answer too.   
"You look like my dead boyfriend," I stated, standing up and not wanting to be near him anymore. I wanted Torao. Where did he go? I wanted to be close to him but he just disappeared!  
"Wait, what?" Trace grabbed my arm to keep me from leaving. "It seemed like you were dating that guy with the tattoos and piercings... "   
"I am!" I bit, yanking my arm away and turning my wrist over, showing the six fucking marks left there.   
"Holy shit..." he muttered, reaching out to touch them but I yanked my arm down no way in hell was he getting anywhere close to that, I didn't even want to show him but it was easier than explaining. I turned and looked around again.   
"There you are," Law said, he glared over me but only for a moment. "Nami-ya's ready to go, she already paid for everything."  
"Okay," I said, grabbing his hand and following him out of the bar. I glanced over my shoulder, Trace was still cleaning up the table. Jimbei, Nami, Usopp, Zoro, and Sanji were all outside, Sanji had lit a cigarette. We headed back to the hotel.


	46. Unravel

**_♡_ ** **_Law♡_ **

"Luffy-ya," I said quietly. Luffy tilted his head in response, he finished chewing his food before speaking.   
"Yeah?" He had been practicing nearly all morning with Robin, Zoro, and Jimbei, he missed breakfast because of it and was trying to make up for the missed meal by eating twice as much food now. I tried to tell him that's not how it worked.   
"I have to go back to Flevance early," I hated having to tell him that, I would much rather stay with him, but everything comes to an end eventually.   
"Eh? When?" Luffy pouted but still shoveled a fork full of food into his mouth.   
"Thursday night, I have to be there Friday morning, with the time difference, that's when I have to leave," I explained, Luffy dropped his chin onto the counter we ate at.   
"How come?" Luffy looked up at me, still pouting, this fucking sucked.   
"I have to be at the hospital for a surgery, that apparently, only I can do," I huffed in attempt to sound annoyed. I hated lying to him. I felt sick doing it and I hated even more, how easily Luffy trusted and believed my lying ass.   
"Hey," Luffy stiffened, sitting upright. "That's tomorrow night!"  
"Mhm," I hummed. Luffy finished what was left on his plate while I was still picking at mine. Luffy set his plate in the sink and came back to sit next to me, leaning on my shoulder.   
"That's hardly fair, you've only been here a few days," Luffy mumbled into my shirt. He wrapped his arms around me.  
"That's better than nothing at all, right?" I said, taking a bite of my lunch.   
"I guess," he reluctantly agreed with a sigh.   
"Do you want this?" I asked Luffy, deciding I was done with my food, there was no point in wasting it if Luffy was still hungry. Luffy sat up again.  
"You're not gunna eat?" His voice laced with concern.  
"I'm not hungry," I could hardly eat after lying to him like I just did.   
"You're sure?"   
"Yes."   
"Okay!" Luffy pulled my plate in front of him an finished off my food. Luffy spent the entire day with me, we didn't go out anywhere special, we watched movies and stayed in the hotel room, just relaxing. The next night Luffy drove me to the airport.  
We walked as far as Luffy could go before kissing goodbye and making promises to call when I landed and so on.

I got home early Friday morning, Fai was asleep on the couch, wearing one of my hoodies, with the TV on playing some cartoon movie. Between her and Luffy I wasn't going to have any more hoodies for them to steal.   
"You're back early," Fai muttered in a sleepy voice, she sat up and looked over at me, her hair was messy and sticking up in random places. Fai yawned, rubbed her eyes and stretched her arms way above her head  
"I didn't mean to wake you up," I said.   
"Well, I didn't mean to fall asleep, so we're even," She retorted, popping her back. "How come you didn't stay longer?" I prepared to tell her the same lie I had told Luffy. I couldn't make myself say it. How could I easily lie to Luffy, but not Fai? It should be just as hard to lie to Luffy as to Fai.   
"Law?" Now she sounded concerned. Fuck, well, telling her would make it so I didn't have to sneak out of my own house.  
"I did something stupid," I admitted Fai looked more awake now.   
"God, please tell me you didn't break up with him..." Fai said.  
"No, not that stupid," I sat on the couch next to her, Fai shifted around to face me. "Something stupid enough to give him a valid reason to break up with me."  
Fai punch my shoulder hard.  
"Law, you did not cheat on him!" Fai snapped.  
" _No,_ " I bit. Then I thought of Stussy, and what Daflamingo was pushing me into. I might as well have.  
"Then what the hell did you do?" Fai asked, frowning and furrowing her brow.   
"You're not going to like it, fuck, I hate it," I said, looking anywhere but at her.  
"Just tell me already," Fai crossed her arms and leaned back on the arm of the couch. I took a deep breath and looked at the ground.  
"I'm working with Doflamingo," I said. Fai was silent, she didn't move.  
"Why?" She finally asked.  
"A few months ago, one of Luffy-ya's friends went missing..." I told Fai about the phone call I had gotten, how Usopp had shown up right after I agreed to help him. I told her about the little in between things, and I told her about Stussy, whom I wanted nothing to do with, about her interest in me for whatever reason and Doflamingo's arrangement which lead to me being here early. Fai was silent, taking in all the information I had just given her.   
"I'd call you an idiot if it weren't for the fact that you're doing this, not just for Luffy, but for his friends too..." She finally spoke. I wasn't sure how to take that. Fai crossed her arms and leaned against the couch.   
"Does Stussy know you have a mark?" I nodded and ran my thumb over Luffy's mark.   
"When I met her, she turned my wrist to look at it." Fai made a face of disapproval.   
"And this....date, it's happening tonight?"  
"Unfortunately," I muttered, hating that she used 'date' in that way.   
"And she's what, in Flevance?"   
"There's a meeting of sorts going on that she's part of. Though she thinks I live in Dressrosa," I explained. I least I hoped she did.   
"Well, there's a plus," Fai pointed out with a small smile that lasted for a moment.   
"Well, where are you going to take her?"   
I shrugged, "The waterfront, maybe." Fai reached for her magazine, sitting on the coffee table and rolled it up she hit me over the head with it.   
"Hell no!" She snapped.   
"What the fuck?" I grumbled.   
"That's where you took Luffy for your first date, you can't take that bitch," Fai yelled.   
"You suggest something then," I muttered.   
"Take her to Shakky's," Fai stated. "It'll make it clear you don't want to date her but you don't hate spending time with her."  
"I do hate spending time with her."  
"That's not the point." I didn't think Fai was thinking that through very clearly. A lot of people go to that bar and the town is small, several people here have known me since I was a kid and they've seen me with Luffy. What will they think when they see me with Stussy? Better question, why do I care what they think?  
"Oh wait, a lot of people go there, huh?" I nodded. "Maybe just a restaurant and a movie then."  
"I guess." I agreed. I still didn't like it. I arranged a 'date' with Stussy as I was told to for later that night. In the meanwhile, I showered, ate, read, slept, and got ready. Stussy and I agreed that we would meet there.   
"If she'd hate me that'd be perfect," I muttered before leaving the bathroom. Just as I was leaving Fai came back. I could help but make fun of her work uniform.   
"Oh, shut up and go!" Fai snapped, pushing me out the door. I headed for a diner close to the bar. Stussy waited there, she wore a nice dress that was far too nice for a place like this, but I had only ever seen her in nice dresses.   
"Hi, Law," Stussy said will a small smile.   
"Hi, how are you?" I asked out of courtesy.   
"Good, you?" Stussy asked   
"Fine."   
"And that mark of yours?" She tilted her head and glanced at my wrist.  
"Uh, he's good," this was going horribly awkward. How had I done this with Luffy? Hadn't he just talked a lot? I could be with him right now...  
"He doesn't know you're here, with me I mean." She twirled her short blond hair in her fingers.   
"No, he doesn't," I confirmed. She nodded. A waitress came by and asked which drinks we wanted. Stussy and I ordered our food too.   
"This is strange isn't it?" She asked. I nodded. I don't think there was any getting around that. "I was going to save this for after we ate, but I suppose now is fine."  
"What?" I asked somewhat hesitantly.   
"You've been forced to work with Joker right?" I nodded again, growing more skeptical. "Mhm, well, I'm working undercover for the world government."   
"Really?" Part of me believed her...  
"You don't believe me," She hummed, Stussy looked around and dug into her bag. She pulled out a folded ID badge, which looked very real, and set it on the table between us. I opened it, and sure enough, there it was. An ID for the government under a branch I hadn't heard of. She can have me arrested right now if she wanted to  
It had to be fake. No...she seemed far too serious for that to be true.   
"Why should I believe you?" Stussy put the badge away and sighed.   
"Your real name is Trafalgar D. Water Law, you grew up in Flevance, which was a town wiped out by the government, after a few years people started coming back. Oh, but not you, no, you were taken in by the infamous Joker, you killed a man, helped joker build up an empire he could have never achieved on his own, along with Corazon. Am I right so far?" A little dumbstruck, I nodded.   
"Good, I'm not done, you graduated high school nearly a full two years early, finished four years worth of college in a year and went into medical school, which you still managed to finish early. You're the youngest head of surgery in the world and, arguably, the best." I discovered, at that moment, I had been staring at her with my mouth hanging open that was fun. The waitress brought our food out. "Joker had Corazon killed, and nearly had you arrested for the man's death." Some of those things she couldn't have gotten from others that knew me.   
Not even Doflamingo or Bepo knew my real name.   
"Do you now?" Stussy smirked, prideful in her extensive knowledge. She took a bite from her plate.   
"I have three proposals for you." She sipped her drink. "Well, two really. The government wants to get rid of Doflamingo, and I mean a full-on assassination. I've spent four years trying to get close enough to do it. I need your help."  
A world without Doflamingo would definitely be a better one.   
"The others?"  
"The second isn't really for you, it has more to do with your mark," she said. "To be successful we also need the help of Roronoa Zoro. He would be the best assassin in the world if not for his tenancy to disobey orders. If he does help us, the government will let him go, he won't ever have to deal with one of us again." I was quiet for a long time. To take someone's life is something you can't shake. Even if it's Doflamingo. I knew from experience. Stussy gave me my time to think.   
"I'll help you kill him," I finally decided. The thought of killing someone didn't sit well, but then I thought about Luffy, sitting in that room in the basement, in a cage. Then there were all the other people that had been kidnapped by Doflamingo and sold.   
"But, I can't be guaranteed the other one. What's the last?"  
"The government wants you to work for them, to be their doctor. They need the best of the best after all. "  
"No," I said without hesitation. "I won't ever work for the government." Stussy nodded in understanding.   
"That's fair, well, there's one last thing you won't like very much." She said, taking another bite from her meal.   
"What?" I asked.   
"To keep Joker's suspicions away, I've set it up to look like we're dating." That explains quite a bit. "I can tell from the very little I've gotten you to talk about Luffy that you care very much for him and I would hate to mess up what you have with him." I didn't expect her to care for my feelings or my personal life when she had started speaking, and that alone left me stunned.   
"We'll need to be sure Doflamingo alone is convinced I pushed for us to date if you'd like I'll meet with Luffy to help explain everything clearly."   
"No, I can manage that on my own." Hopefully.   
We finished our food with light conversation, Stussy told me about how she had been assigned to Doflamingo and insisted I tell her how I met Luffy since the actual odds of us ever meeting was so slim. I told her. Trusting her was something I didn't want to do, but there was something about her that made it hard not to trust her. Luffy had that same sort of aura too. So I did, it may be foolish but it was a way of breaking free of Doflamingo. I thought I could do it without killing him, but clearly, I was wrong.   
"Some of Jokers men followed you here by the way," Stussy said quietly, once we were getting ready to leave, Stussy had kept our whole conversation quiet enough to go unheard. I glanced around the room, not moving my head as to not seem as if I were looking for someone.   
"Over my shoulder," Stussy said. I looked there. Dellinger. He was wearing more normal clothing compared to what he usually wore. He was at a table to himself and so far he had only a drink in front of him. He was on his phone. He looked up and met my eyes. I glared at him. I didn't give a shit if he knew I was aware of him.   
"I've only seen him a few times, he's quite annoying and not very thoughtful at all. Nearly your opposite, I'd say," Stussy said.   
"I guess."   
"Why don't we play off the couple thing hm?" I covered the bill and Stussy and I got up to leave, she grabbed my hand as we left.   
"Did you drive here? I'll walk you to your car," I offered.   
"No, my hotel is just around the corner." I nodded and walked Stussy to the hotel near the airport. She talked about plans she had come up with, some of them may work, none of them were fully thought through, none of them were guaranteed. Once we reached the front of the hotel Stussy glanced behind us, Dillinger hadn't followed us. We had been careful of that.   
"I'll keep in touch she said with a small smile. Stussy kissed my cheek and headed into her hotel. I'll be sure to ask her not to do that again. Now I have to figure out how to tell Luffy everything that's going on. The assassination plot didn't worry me too much, it was more the Stussy part.   
"Torao?"


	47. Asshole

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one's kinda short sorry, you'll get another chapter tomorrow anyway.

**_♤Luffy♡_**  
Torao disappeared through the gates. It wasn't fair, I had hardly spent any time with him. And he had to go back to work.   
But...  
He only had to work one day, he still had all the other days he planned to stay with me free. So why don't I just go to him? I grinned. His flight was to Dressrosa, then to Flevance. Maybe there was one to Water 7? I looked at all the flight schedules on display. There was! In an hour! I could do it! I pulled my wallet from my pocket and rushed to the ticket line. Ever since we started working for the Pirate's company all of us had debit cards they paid us on, I'd use that, I had thousands of dollars on it!  
I bought the ticket for Water 7 and waited for what felt like an eternity before I finally got on the plane.   
I bought a ticket for Flevance at Water 7, that one took forever. Oh well, maybe Torao will already be off work when I land. Finally, I boarded the plane for Flevance. That flight wasn't very long at all. The next thing I was there in Flevance. I walked out the airport doors, Nami would be pissed as soon as she figured out what I did, but oh well! I'll go back in a few days. I hardly got to see Torao so if he was stuck here then I'd just come too. Flevance was cold, colder than the weather I'm used to and much colder than what I was dressed for, but that's fine too. I turned the corner to headed for Law's house when I saw him. He was with a lady, one I had never seen before. She was tall and blonde and pretty. I smiled and was about to call out his name when I noticed he was holding her hand.   
That was strange, but I've held Nami's hand so she must be one of his friends I haven't met yet. I waited to get closer to them before I said anything. The lady said something and kissed his cheek, well Vivi's done that to me so it's fine.   
Then I remembered Law doesn't like that kind of stuff. He only lets me get that close to him. He doesn't even like Fai hugging him very much. What was going on? Didn't he say he had to be at the hospital?  
"Torao?" My voice cracked when I spoke. Law tensed. He looked over to me, his eyes widened. Like he had been caught doing something he wasn't supposed to. His mark tingled, sending goosebumps crawling over my skin.   
He was cheating on me. With that girl. Why else would he look like that? Why else would she kiss him!? He didn't have another mark, did he? What the hell was going on?  
I walked towards him, Law didn't move he just watched me. I passed him, bumping his shoulder along the way. Fuck, I had nowhere to go. Maybe Sachi or Penguin. But Law could find me there. Goddamit.   
"Lu!" Law was following me now, great. I didn't want to hear any stupid explanation he had. I started walking faster, I didn't want to even look at his stupid face. His mark only tingled more, and it was just so freaking cold, this sucked. Something wet slid down my face, I looked up expecting to see a cloudy sky but that wasn't the case. The sky had cloud here and there but not enough to be raining. Great. I'm crying. This was stupid, all so stupid. I should have stayed. I least then I'd still _think_ everything was fine.   
"Luffy," Law grabbed my arm and pulled me to face him. Asshole.   
"Don't touch me," I snapped, pulling my arm from him.   
"It's not what you think," Law cringed at his choice of words.   
"Yeah, whatever," I muttered, turning my back to him.   
"Luffy, please let me explain," Law was still following me, I turned a corner, moving even faster. I knew the only way I'd lose him was if I ran. I don't know why I didn't. "Where are you even going?"   
"Anywhere away from you," I bit, not daring to look at him, more tears ran down my face. I wasn't going to let him see me cry. I looked down at my wrist, his mark was still deep black. Stupid thing, marks really are just random flukes. Guess Law was right about that. Law grabbed my arm again.   
"Don't fucking touch me!" I screamed at him with my voice cracking. I turned back to push him away but Law flinched. Fear in his eyes, fuck, what did I do?  
Law took a step closer and brushed a tear from my cheek with his thumb.   
"Luffy-ya," Law's voice was low, he stepped closer to me. Law gently pressed his lips to mine. I wanted to kiss him back, to wrap my arms around him. And I wanted his arms around me. Then I thought of that girl. And Law kissing that girl. The kiss lasted only a moment and I could hardly think straight without his lips on mine let alone with them there. This was just too much. I pushed him away and stepped away from him.   
"You're an asshole," I muttered. Turning away and running down the road. Where was I going go? What was the closest? The ice cream shop maybe, Fai might be there. I turned around a corner and crossed a street and turned another corner before pushing to door open. Only the people behind the counter were there, a couple teenagers.   
"Is Fai here?" I asked, my voice cracked again. Goddamit!  
"She left a few hours ago," one of them answered.   
"Oh," I left the shop, walking now. I lost Law when I crossed the street I'm sure. Maybe sooner than that. Law might be able to outpace me but he sure as hell can't outrun me. I pulled my phone from my pocket. It was nearly dead. Great. I had rushed over here right after Law left, I didn't even grab my suitcase. I'll sleep under a bench before I go back to Law. I called Zoro.   
"Luf, where the hell are you?" He sounded annoyed, oops. "Nami won't leave me the fuck alone and insists I know where you are."   
"Sorry," I smiled a little. At least I had stopped crying.   
"Luffy, what's wrong? Where are you?" Zoro asked.   
"Flevance," I said.   
"Shit, what did that tattooed bastard do?" I looked around me, there was a group of friends walking on the other side of the street, being loud and laughing, other than them no one else was out.   
"He cheated," I mumbled, looking down at the sidewalk and my moving feet. Couldn't hide anything from Zoro even if I tried.   
"Luffy, come back," Zoro said quietly. But I couldn't. I couldn't just go back and pretend I was okay.   
"No," I sighed.   
"Then what are you going to do?" Zoro sounded irritated now.  
"I don't know." I really didn't.  
Zoro sighed. "Luffy, don't do anything crazy."   
"Mhm," I hummed, hanging up the phone. I headed over to the beach. It was cold and windy and wouldn't be very fun at all but I wasn't exactly looking for something fun to do.   
It took me a good ten minutes to find the beach. I walked down to the empty plain of sand, the tide was far out and the sand was damp, and as I thought, it was windy and cold. I found a relatively dry spot to sit and stare at the water. The only thing on my mind was Law.   
He let her kiss him, hell, he's probably kissed her by now. But he didn't have another mark so why? It didn't make sense! How long had this been going on anyway?  
I glared at the water. The beach just reminded so damned much of Law. This was definitely a bad idea. The wind picked up and blew my hair back, I pulled my knees to my chest and glared at the water some more.   
Why did I have to love him? I scratched meaningless lines into the sand as a seagull flew over me. Still that girl! I couldn't get her out of my head, stupid bitch.   
"You're very predictable sometimes." Damn.   
"What the hell do you want?" I muttered, not daring to look over my shoulder.   
"Well, one, to tell you I'm not seeing that girl she's a friend- hell, I wouldn't even call her that. But she's nothing more than that and won't ever be." Law took steps closer to me, he was standing next to me now. The wind died down a little and waves started to creep up a little closer to us. I hugged my knees a little closer. It was so freaking cold. Law sighed, the next thing I knew a sweater was draped over my shoulders.   
"I don't need your jacket," I muttered, I didn't take it off though.   
"Mhm," Law hummed. We were both quiet for a while. I glanced at Law, his eyes were a little red but other than that he was normal. I believed him, Law wouldn't ever do something like that. But I was convinced he had done just that. I convinced my self he cheated on me even though he didn't have marks, even though I knew he'd never do that. There couldn't be anything good from that. What was wrong with me?


	48. Fuck

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter title is dedicated to Law's great vocabulary skills

**_♡_ ** **_Law♡_ **

The moment I heard Luffy's voice my heart stopped. I knew exactly what'd he'd think, from the way he said my name, I knew exactly what he saw. Stussy disappeared behind closed doors just moments beforehand. A strange tingly feeling came from my mark, it left a kind of emptiness in its wake that I couldn't quite grasp. Luffy's eyes started to water as he went from confused to hurt. The emotion in his eyes and body language left me with that empty feeling again. Luffy and I just stared at each other for several moments. Luffy took several steps in my direction. I couldn't make myself move, I just stared at him. Luffy walked right past me, bumping into me along the way.   
I was still frozen in place.   
"Lu!" I finally called, once he was halfway down the block. I followed him, walking quickly to catch up to him. The moment I was close enough, I reached out for him and grabbed his arm.   
"Luffy," I pulled him to face me, tears coated his cheeks.   
"Don't touch me," Luffy yanked his arm away, his words left me feeling as if I had been slapped.   
"It's not what you think," I blurted, cringing at the wording of that phrase.   
"Yeah, whatever," Luffy mumbled, the wind blew a little stronger, Luffy shivered. This idiot wasn't even wearing a hoodie.   
"Luffy, please, let me explain," I pleaded, following close behind him. Luffy turned a corner and picked up his pace. Damn.   
"Where are you even going?" I asked anything to get him to talk to me.   
"Anywhere away from you," Luffy's voice was filled with venom. I reached out to grab his arm again, the moment I touched Luffy. he spun around with furry. He looked up at me, angry and hurt.   
"Don't fucking touch me!" Luffy screamed. I flinched. Luffy's never yelled at me like that. God, it hurt. My stomach twisted into knots and my chest clenched up. I took a step closer and brushed a tear from his cheek. I'm such an asshole. I should have told him. Fuck.  
"Luffy-ya," I took another step closer to him. I'm not sure why, but I kissed him. Just a gentle kiss and nothing more, Luffy let himself relax for just a moment. I didn't care. I just wanted him, fuck I didn't deserve him but I love him. I love him so damned much. I couldn't take it if he left me. Luffy shoved me away, tears still rolled down his face.   
"You're an asshole," Luffy muttered, he turned ran down the road. Shit, I couldn't keep up with him. I still followed. Luffy turned a corner, I was barely close enough to see him cross the road. Just as I stepped onto it a car zoomed in front of me. Then another.   
Luffy was gone.   
Fuck, where would he go? Fai maybe. Or even Sachi, Bepo, or Penguin. Did he know where either of them lived? He could always call them. No, he'd go somewhere he thought I wouldn't look for him. He knew I could find him if he went to Fai or any of my friends. Where? Where would he go?  
Maybe the waterfront, but there were too many people there. I found a time to cross the street, what did Luffy even know that was in this direction? Luffy had to have been close by, it couldn't take too long to find him. I'm sure he'd stop running once he realized I wasn't right behind him. I knew he didn't want me around, but he didn't understand. He had to know the rest, he deserved that at the very least. A seagull flew through the sky, a strong gust of wind picked up.   
_The Beach._  
I headed for the only beach Luffy had been to.   
He was sitting on the damp sand, drawing in it. I watched him for a moment before making my way towards him.  
"You're very predictable sometimes," I said. I didn't know what else to say to him.   
"What the hell do you want?" He muttered, refusing to look at me. I considered my options, Luffy had to know I'd never cheat on him... I had been about to though. Sure, I had tried to convince myself it wasn't that... I didn't really have a choice about that though. I pushed all of that out of mind. The point is, that's not what it had been.   
"Well, one, to tell you I'm not seeing that girl she's a friend-hell, I wouldn't even call her that. But she's nothing more than that and won't ever be." All I said was true, and Luffy had to believe that. Luffy wrapped his arms around himself, shivering and rubbing his arms. This brainless idiot did he even bring his suitcase with him? I unzipped the black jacket I wore, damn, it was cold out here. I pulled it off and put it over Luffy's shoulders.   
"I don't need your jacket," he muttered. Well, he wasn't throwing it onto the sand, that had to be something good.  
"Mhm," I hummed. My eyes started to water, I couldn't tell if it was the wind blowing in my face or the thought that Luffy would leave and not come back. I hated this.   
"I'm listening," Luffy glanced at me from the corner of his eye, well it was more of a glare...  
"Stussy was the girl I was with. She's an underground trader, at least I thought she was-" There was a low rumble. It almost sounded like growling. Then the ground started to shake, I fell to my knees. An earthquake? Here? Fuck, why now? It couldn't have waited for ten damned minutes? Flevance got two, maybe three tremors a year, and one decides to start right fucking now?   
"What?" Luffy pulled my jacket tighter around his shoulders. The tremor was gone.  
"What was that?" Luffy asked he looked out at the water and got to his feet. Another tremor knocked him over. What the hell? They were both short and not very strong, just enough to throw us off balance. It was coming from the direction of the ocean.   
"We have to get out of here," I said. Luffy looked at me confused.   
"Why?" Another tremor hit and the water started to pull back very slowly. Oh my fucking god. A Tsunami? Are you kidding? What the _fuck_?  
"Luffy-ya, get up," I ordered, standing, Luffy was already on his feet. He pulled the sweater over his arms, I grabbed his hand and started running off the beach. I had no idea how much time we had but surely not very much. Flevance wasn't exactly high ground, at least half the town would be flooded  
"Torao, what's going on?" Luffy asked. If the water was already pulling back, the earthquake couldn't be very far off the coast. That could be a good thing, a tsunami couldn't possibly pick up a ridiculous amount of force. Luffy and I ran up the hill that leads to the beach and onto the sidewalk. There were a lot more people out now. I glanced back at the water, watching the horizon. I couldn't see anything.   
"Torao?" I reached into the pocket of my sweater and pulled out my phone. I called Fai. She didn't answer, that couldn't be good. I still had to get away from the coast. I tried again, still nothing.   
"An earthquake happened off the cost and the water is pulling back, there's going to be a tsunami," I explained, quickly walking down the street. I tried calling Fai again. It rang a few times but still no answer.   
"Torao..." Luffy was quite, shit. He's scared of water.  
"I know, we've gotta get outta here. I have to find Fai first," I said. I tried calling Fai again, she wasn't answering.   
"Fuck," I pulled Luffy back towards the airport. I just had to leave my car at the diner! I called Fai again and again, no answer. We got to my car, got in, and I drove to my house, If Fai's not there I don't know what I'll do. On the way there, my phone started to ring.   
"Answer it," I told Luffy.   
"It's in your back pocket," Luffy reminded me. Fuck, fuck, fuck. I reached into my pocket and tossed the phone into Luffy's lap.   
"Hey Fai," Luffy greeted.   
"Put it on speaker," I instructed.   
"Law, please tell me you're away from the water."   
"Not exactly, I'm by the airport, Are you still home?"   
"No, I'm on the Ferris wheel." I clenched my fist at that. A wave of water flooded the street. Holy shit. I slammed on the brakes and shut the car off. Another wave followed behind it, raising the water level.   
"Shit!" Fai cursed, followed by a loud clang.  
"Fai?"   
"The ride just lost power. I'm at the top, so, I think I'm fine." That wasn't reassuring. Yet another wave pulsed through the road, I could feel the water thrumming against the side of my car. There was no way this was good for my car. And shit, my house!  
"Traffy," Luffy yelped, pulling his feet unto the seat, water was starting to come into the car. I wasn't sure what to do, I couldn't drive in this. Yet another wave pushed over the water already sitting on the road, my car moved. Not by much, but it definitely moved. Holy shit. The ground shook again. Muttering started up on Fai's side of the call. The phone went silent.   
"Fai?"  
"There's no service," Luffy said, looking at the screen. The roar of another wave washed in, pushing the water up the bottom of the windows of my car.   
"Fuck!" I didn't know what else to do at this point. The water surrounding us was dirty, with all kinds of random crap floating in it, the current wasn't anything to play with either. I doubted Luffy could swim in even calm conditions let alone this. I opened the sunroof of the car, unbuckled, and pulled the keys from the ignition. This was a start.   
"Climb out." Luffy looked at the water, he unbuckled and pulled himself through the top of the car. I climbed out behind him, the wind was stronger now, stinging my skin as it bit at my bare arms. I looked around. There weren't very many places we could go, maybe the roof of a building but there were huge gaps between us and there, and no promises we could get inside. Another surge of water, this one was significantly smaller than the last few. I watched my car filled up with water. Insurance had to cover a good chunk of this, at least I hoped it would. I might be a doctor, but I couldn't afford a new car on top of the damage done to my house. I pushed those thoughts aside, it didn't matter right now.   
Nothing more happened from there, water rushed by but there were no more surges of water, no more shaking earth. Those in the car in front of us had done the same as Luffy and I. It looked like a teenager and his younger sister. Luffy and I didn't speak, I was too concerned about Fai and my friends, that, and my house. I didn't have a way to contact them. The hospital, that had hardly been a consideration over the past hour or so. It was probably flooded, everything important moved to the second floor. There usually weren't very many patients on the first floor so that's a bonus. Finally, the water started to pull back. It was slow, and probably took hours, the sun had completely set by the time the water was shallow enough to see the road beneath it. I climbed down, my feet splashing in the murky water in the road and helped Luffy down. There was still no cell reception on my phone. The kids in the car in front of us climbed off their car too. The girl couldn't have been much older than seven or eight.   
"Fai will head home as quickly as she can, so that's where I'm going. Are you coming with me?" I asked, things were awkward and tense between us, and I doubted Luffy even noticed. Luffy thought about it for a moment or two and nodded.  
"Excuse me," The kid said in a small voice, holding the younger girls hand. Luffy and I both turned toward the two. "I'm not from here and I'm taking my sister to visit my mom in the hospital, I've got no idea where to go, and ya know, phones are out." I decided not to question why the kid's mom was in this particular hospital, it wasn't any of my business anyway.   
"I can lead you there," I offered, hey, he was just a kid, and it's not like he had done anything particularly dick-ish in the past few hours. That, and I'd get pretty close to the hospital going back to my house.   
"I wouldn't want you to go out of your way," the kid muttered. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes.   
"Just follow my car," I insisted, opening the door. The interior of the car was still completely soaked, with a puddle of brown water on the floorboard. Just great. Who knew if my car would even run after sitting in ocean water for hours. Well, if my car didn't work, I doubted that kid's car would either. I got into my car with a disgusted grunt, Luffy got into the passenger side. Well, at least I managed to stay dry until that point.   
Please start, I thought as I turned the key. The engine came to life with almost a gurgly noise. That didn't sound good...   
I waited for the kids to get back into the car until I pulled up past him. I lead the way to the hospital. The roads all the way there were covered in a thin layer of water, I drove slowly to avoid getting any more water in the engine of my car.   
The hospital was in chaos. There were three ambulances in the front, the parking lot was flooded, and Bepo was by the front door helping a nurse get a gurney into the building. I looked over toward the waterfront where I should have been able to see the top of the Ferris wheel. It wasn't there.  
"Shit," I cursed pulling to a stop next to the sidewalk across the street.  
"What?" Luffy asked hesitantly.  
"The Ferris wheel fell, Fai was on it."   
"Is she okay?"  
"I don't know!" I bit. Fuck, fuck, fuck! I opened the door and jumped out of the car, running into the hospital. I didn't care if Luffy was behind me or not, I definitely didn't care about that kid, hell, I didn't even take my keys out of the ignition.  
"Law?" Bepo questioned the moment he saw me.  
"Has Fai been brought in?" Bepo shook his head.   
"Why?"   
"She was on the Ferris wheel." I stepped out of the way of another gurney and helped pull it through the front doors. Another came up right behind us.   
Fai. She was covered in mud and blood, a mask over her face and... a missing leg.  
"How many surgeries are there?"   
"I don't know, they put Crocus's team in charge."  
"You've got to be joking, one of you is more efficient than Crocus!" I grumbled. That man was too damned slow and was going to get someone killed in a situation like this.  
"If you see Kureha, I'm taking over, I'll do every damned operation by myself if I have to." That old man wasn't getting anywhere near Fai, that's for damned sure.   
I made it to my office and changed into clean scrubs, I got what I needed and headed for Crocus's operating room. It was empty. It was fucking empty. That means he was using mine. I headed there, cleaned up properly, and entered the room.   
"Get away from my table." I bit.  
"Law?" It took Crocus' whole damned team to be here? Jean Bart and Penguin could take the entire thing on and be done in an hour.   
"Status?" I asked the most competent person on Crocus' team, Jiro.   
"A man with internal bleeding in the abdomen, blunt force trauma to the spine and several broken sections in the left femur." I nodded and turned to the others.   
"There's no need for all of you to be in here, get my team, take over the jobs they're doing and send them here."   
"Tch, you young'uns thinking you know it all," Crocus muttered. "Go on, do as he says, Puzzle, Jiro, stay to help until Law's team arrives."   
I went over the things I needed to with Puzzle and Jiro to understand the situation until Bepo and Sachi came in, Crocus instructed Puzzle and Jiro to find Jean Bart and Penguin.   
"How many do we have?" I asked Crocus.   
"Twelve after this one so far." I nodded as I finished repairing the last damaged blood vessel of this person. I did all I could and closed up the body. Crocus had watched and as my team worked.   
"Peng, Bepo, go prepare Crocus' room, you two will be working there for the next patient, Jean, Sachi clean up in here and prep for the next. I'll be back." I had nearly forgotten about Luffy when I came in. I knew Fai was at the bottom of the waiting list, the quicker I got to her the better.   
"Thanks, Trafalgar," Crocus said, following me out of the operating room.  
"For what?"   
"Taking over in there, you and I both know I can't handle intense surgeries like that back to back, that was only the second one," Crocus explained.  
"It's nothing."  
"Hardly, there's a reason you're the best surgeon around, Law, you can clear that list within the next 16 hours I'll bet, it'd take me the whole weekend. You did the same with that bus accident in the summer." I shrugged and used the stairs to get to the first floor. It had been as I predicted, flooded. The water was cleared out now and the place was a horror show, and health inspector would shut the hospital down. The first floor wasn't being used at all for just that reason. Another gurney was rushed in, I looked out the front doors where I left my car. Nope. My office then I headed back the way I had come.   
"Did you need me back there? If not I'll make myself useful elsewhere."   
"I'll need your whole team soon, they'll need to be rested so I can switch them out with mine, your being there to help catch any mistakes later in the night will help a lot too," I said. "I plan to keep these going with outbreak until we're done."   
"Can you handle that?"   
"With enough coffee, of course," I made it to my office and opened the door. Luffy was at the window looking down at the wrecked town with a frown.   
"Fai?" He asked as soon as I walked in.   
"I don't know her condition completely but she hurt badly," I answered.   
"That's what Bepo said," Luffy muttered.   
"I'm going to be here a while, probably all night, do you want to stay here?" Luffy nodded.   
"I'll find Fai and keep her company," Luffy smiled. I went back to the OR just as Sachi and Jean Bart brought a patient in. A teenage girl. Sachi handed me her chart. This one was going to take a while. We got through that one and the next. The next one I told Sachi and Jean Bart to rest in the on-call room for a few hours, the sent in Puzzle and Troff from Crocus' team. I did the same for Bepo and Penguin. Jiro and Lago replaced them. I spent a lot more time going back and forth between the rooms with these guys, though Crocus' was there too, he couldn't even keep up with Penguin or Jean Bart, they were my slowest.   
I went to check on Luffy, he had found Fai's room just down the hall from the ORs. She had less mud on her and she was wrapped in bandages. Still unconscious though.   
"No, I'm not leaving," Luffy grumbled. I glanced at him curiously. He was on the phone.   
"Then you come find me, I'm at the hospital," Luffy huffed, hanging up.   
"Everything okay?" I asked. Luffy nodded and looked at Fai. I sat down in the chair next to him, it was well past midnight and I was exhausted. The ORs were being cleaned then we'd take a thirty-minute break. Bepo went out to get caffeine for all ten surgeons. I leaned my head back against the wall.   
"Fai will have a pretty cool fake leg after this." Luffy grinned. "Ohh, Franky can make her a robotic limb, he did that for a dog once, he's still running around in someone's backyard!"   
"Hm," I hummed looking at Fai. The only thing to signify she was still alive was all the beeping machines. That was promising...  
"Yo, Boss, Bepo's back," Penguin said. "Heads up." Penguin tossed a can my way, a monster to be exact. I didn't prefer energy drinks, but I'll take it.   
"Thanks, are the ORs prepped?"   
"Yup, ready to go when you are."   
"Good, get something to eat with the others when your done clean up and get ready to operate."   
"Alrighty," Penguin paused. "Make sure to take of your self too, Boss." I nodded as Penguin left.   
"You hungry?" I asked Luffy. He stretched, with bones popping.   
"Yup."   
"Let's get some food then," I stood and headed to the nearest exit. The cafeteria was on the first floor, all the food was going to patients, and patients only. Anything that wasn't destroyed was being cooked and prepared. Luffy and I walked to the nearest fast food which was just down the road from the hospital. We ate, we walked back to the hospital, and I cleaned up and got ready for the next surgery. The list went on for the entire night and late into the next day. I didn't sleep. Luffy had slept beside Fai's bed, and eventually in my office. He got coffee for everyone early in the morning and such.   
"Law, are you sure about this?" Bepo asked, looking at the girl on the operating table. "You haven't slept in almost two days"   
"I'm fine," I looked down at Fai. I started operating on Fai. It was a lengthy process, but simple enough.   
"Law, we need you in here," Sachi's voice came over the intercom. Goddamnit.   
"Bepo," I said. Bepo came to my side and took over. I made my way to the other room. The patient's heartbeat was erratic, I jumped in, doing what it took to get the man to stabilize and closed up.   
I returned to Fai as quickly as I could. Bepo and Penguin were already well into the procedure. It didn't take too long from there. It felt like years though. I had never been so afraid of making a mistake until I was in that room, in those moments.   
After Fai, there were three more. Those lead well into the night. It was just past midnight when I left the operating room. Puzzle and Jiro had been there, they were exhausted. By then, disaster teams had been sent to Flevance and were all over the hospital volunteers were making food. Most of the damage had been assessed too. The hospital was quickly recovering from the disaster. I found Luffy with Fai. She had woken up just before I got there.   
"Wow, you look like shit," Fai said as soon as I walked in the room.   
"Coming from someone who just fell off a Ferris wheel."   
"You're forgetting the part where I died for two minutes and nearly drowned in dirty tsunami water," Fai added.   
Luffy looked up at me, he was tired. I could see it in his whole body, the way his shoulders slumped, the hardly noticeable circles under his eyes, the way he slouched in his chair. I should get him home, or at least somewhere he can actually sleep.   
"Are you done, can we go get food?" He asked. I looked over at Fai.  
"Go home, get some sleep," Fai insisted.   
"Fine, but I'll be back soon," I said. Luffy and I left. I took him to the place down the road to get food, then home. When I pulled into the driveway I knew it was going to be bad. There were all kinds of debris in the front yard, mud covered the grass and path that lead up to my door. Luffy and I headed inside. The place smelt damp and gross, a layer of silt covered everything the water touched. The carpet was still completely covered in mud and sand.   
"Oh shit," I cursed, realizing the pictures I had in plastic totes would be ruined. I ran to the hallway closet it was on the floor in the back corner, I pulled it out and peeled the lid off. It was dry. It was all dry. I put the lid on and put it back. I heard the squish of Luffys stepping in the mud.   
"Wow," he muttered.   
I leaned against the wall, it creaked in protest to my weight. Shit. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck! I went into the hall and to my room, the bed had moved about five feet over. I didn't want to even think about the papers in my desk drawers. The past five years worth of taxes and all the other "adult" papers I had filed away. Fucking shit. The bathroom and Fai's room were just as bad as the rest of the house, the kitchen even worse, it wreaked of rotting food. I didn't want to open the fridge.   
"Luffy!" The voice was loud and annoyed. It came from outside.   
"Sanji?" Luffy called, not nearly as loud as the shouting had been. I went back into the living room.   
"Cook, that's the house," another voice said, it much closer now. "Oi, Luffy!"   
Luffy ran outside, I followed him, being careful not to slip in the mud. Zoro and Sanji were outside. Great. Just fucking great. Knowing Nami, they were probably here to collect Luffy. We still had shit to work out, I couldn't let him leave while we were arguing. I didn't want him to think I cheated on him. Fuck this whole weekend. I need a damn nap.


	49. Trust

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is short, and I posted a short chapter a recently since this is in two parts I'll post the second part too. Because I feel like it :3

**_ PART ONE _ **

_**《** _ **_Zoro_ ** _**》** _

Flevance was a disaster scene when Sanji and I landed. I could tell the airport had been flooded. Water covered most of the runways. Why it was still open was a mystery to me. Fire trucks littered the streets. Tents were outside houses. I had seen on the TV at the airport that an earthquake had started off the coast. It wasn't anything massive, and the tsunami that started afterward wasn't all that big. Still, the town was awful.   
"I put the address Nami gave us into google," Sanji said, staring at his phone, leading the way.   
"Who knows if he's even at Law's, he might be in the hospital with all this damage," I muttered.   
"What?" Sanji looked up and looked around. "Oh, right." We were quiet for a few blocks.   
The further we went into town, the worse it looked. I didn't even want to see the beaches. Sanji slipped his hand into my back pocket. Okay then.   
"Who says Luffy will even want to come back with us?" Sanji asked. I thought about it. Luffy didn't have very many places to go in this town, at least not that I knew of unless he had made any other weird friends here. That's not all that unlikely.   
"He might," I decided.   
"What makes you think so?" Sanji asked, somewhat amused. I shrugged. I hadn't told anyone what Luffy told me over the phone. I wanted to beat Trafalgar. Even if it was some misunderstanding. Which was likely. Once Luffy had an idea, he tended to burn it into his mind. Still, Luffy hadn't said anything about it since he called me, which means Law let him think Luffy had been cheated on for three days now. Sanji led the way to Law's house. I came to the conclusion that Law's house would be one of the flooded homes that surrounded us.   
"We're getting close," Sanji finally said. He removed my hand from my pocket and rushed ahead.   
"Luffy!" He called, his voice faintly echoed. I looked at the address numbers by the doors of each house. Some were missing numbers, some had the whole address gone. Then I saw the one I recognized, one of the numbers upside down.   
"Cook, that's the house," I called. Sanji turned and checked the address.   
"Luffy!" He called again, heading toward the front door, which was wide open. Luffy came into the doorway and ran over to us. Law was standing in the doorway. A look of concern crossed his expression, what exactly he was worried about was questionable.   
"Hiya!" Luffy greeted.   
"You dumbass." Sanji retorted. "You just up and left, made Nami mad and upset Robin."   
"So?" Luffy asked, crossing his arms childishly.   
"How long do you plan on staying?" I asked, glaring at Law. Luffy glanced that direction too.   
"I dunno," he shrugged. "Why'd you guys come here?"   
"Nami sent us, she's pretty mad at you," Sanji said.   
"Shishishi, she won't stay mad," Luffy grinned. Sanji and Luffy continued to talk. I looked back at Law's doorway, he wasn't there anymore. I headed to the house, Sanji and Luffy hardly noticed me leaving. The place was a disaster. I could tell it had been a pretty nice house before, but not much can survive a tsunami. Even if it was small.   
"No, it's completely ruined," Law said quietly. His voice came from the kitchen so I went there. The kitchen was probably the least damaged. Sure, mud-coated everything but it looked the least warped and water damaged.   
"I don't know, fixing it will take months," Law was on the phone.   
"No, don't worry about that, just make sure you come back home soon." Law hung up the phone and set it on the counter, I don't think he realized I was there. He sighed and shook his head. And cursed under his breath. I felt bad for the guy, then I recalled the phone call I got from Luffy the other day. Maybe it was karma.   
"You good?" I asked. Law jumped a little and turned towards me. It was clear he was exhausted. It wasn't just in the circles beneath his eyes, but his shoulders, his posture, the way he spoke and how lazily his eyes moved.   
"Tch, not even a little," Law replied leaning against the counter. I nodded in understanding. Law squinted and let out another long sigh.   
"You know don't you?" He asked after a moments silence.   
"About you cheating?" More anger was in my voice than I had intended. Law squeezed his eyes shut.   
"That's not what was happening," he muttered.   
"Oh, I don't doubt that." I agreed. "But you've let Luffy think that for days. You've made him doubt marks and you've made him cry." Law looked at the ground.   
"It's kinda hard to tell someone anything when they take off without giving you a chance," Law grumbled. I raised an eyebrow at him.   
"You've had 3 days," I pointed out. Law pressed his lips together.   
"Hardly, we've been at the hospital until a few minutes ago, I've been doing surgeries back to back the past three days," Fair enough, I had forgotten he's a doctor of some sort. "You're right, though, those are just excuses," He muttered to himself with resentment. He clearly was beating himself up more than I ever could. Good enough for me.   
"He's _mine_ , you bitch," Luffy's voice was gruff and the most possessive I had ever heard it. Someone came inside, from the heel click I assumed it was a woman.   
"Oh," She muttered she was only in the doorway. I recognized that voice... "Law?"  
"Hey!" Luffy came in right behind her. I glanced over my shoulder, and Sanji behind him, looking very confused.  
"Stussy?" I questioned, what the hell did Law have to do with the top assassin working for the world government? Law's eyes went back and forth between Stussy and Luffy.   
"Doflamingo's arranged a meeting for tomorrow morning in Dressrosa regarding the Strawhats I tried to call to ask if you knew or not, but you, apparently, are impossible to get a hold of," Stussy stated.   
"Mingo?" Luffy asked, looking at Law. Oh great, what did Law get himself into?  
"I tried to explain to you earlier-" Law became quiet, he didn't move or speak. He shook his head and looked around confused for just a moment.   
"Torao?" Luffy had gone from upset to concerned quickly. Law ran his hand through his hair, he seemed much more distracted than before.   
"Luffy-ya," Law moved closer to Luffy and took his hand. Law spoke quietly, quiet enough that I couldn't hear him though he was standing a few feet from me.   
"But-" Luffy stated but Law interrupted him and said something else into his ear.  
"Fine," Luffy huffed and turned to Sanji, grabbing his arm, "C'mon Zoro."   
"Actually, Zoro, could you wait a moment?" Stussy asked. What did she want with me? Sanji gave me a questioning look, I shrugged.   
"Whatever," I muttered Sanji and Luffy went outside the house, leaving Law, Stussy, and me to talk about who knows what. Law leaned back against the counter again.  
"Right, well, I'll put it short," Stussy started "The government has wanted Joker out of the picture for years, they sent me undercover to find him, plans being set in motion, blah, blah, we need your help.  
"Hell no," I replied.   
"Hang on," Stussy smiled, "If you do help, you won't hear a word from the government ever again. They'll leave you alone, so long as you don't cause them any further trouble." My heart clenched in my chest. The thought of that sent chills down my back. Free, from the government, for one more life, for one more assassination. It's not like the target was a moral saint either. It had to be too good to be true.   
"It wasn't easy to get the government to agree to those conditions you know, they like your skills," Stussy added. Luffy had been the one to say no though.  
"Alright," I agreed, Stussy smiled. "Only if Luffy is okay with it."   
"I thought you'd say something like that," Stussy smiled and turned to Law.   
"You said Joker had a meeting arranged about the Strawhats?" Stussy nodded.  
"He didn't say what about, just them, it's odd, he's only including the big guys right now, Kaido, Linin, The Mountain Witch, me."  
"Why?" Law muttered he shook his head. "Doflamingo may have wanted to tell me, but my phone is dead. Thanks for letting me know."  
"Mhm," Stussy hummed. "Well, that's all I'm here for, best of luck with all of this." Stussy gestured to, well, everywhere before heading outside. Luffy and Sanji came back inside after Stussy left, It seemed as if there was a lot more to the story than what Law was letting on. It probably had something to do with Law even knowing Stussy.  
"Torao," Luffy said.   
"Yeah, I know," Law replied, taking Luffy's hand and leading him outside, leaving Sanji and Zoro there.   
"What the hell is going on?" Sanji asked, annoyed and confused.   
"Luffy caught Law cheating on him," I stated.   
" _What?_ " Sanji asked.   
"I assume it was with Stussy, she's with the government, Law wasn't cheating," I explained.   
"That lady that was here?" I nodded. "Well, that explains Luffy, but what would Law have to do with her?"   
"Don't know," I shrugged. "She wants me to do another job for them."  
"You're considering it," Sanji said after a moment of silence.   
"No, I'm doing it so long as Luffy is okay with it," I said.   
"Zoro-"  
"She told me the government would leave me alone if I agreed to it."   
"You _believe_ her?" Sanji asked. "After the last time? After the hell, they put us through? They put _you_ through?" He was astounded and his voice laced with resentment.   
"The last time had very different circumstances. Stussy is the most skilled assassin the government has," I retorted.   
"Zoro-" I glared at Sanji he wasn't getting it. And he wasn't going to change my mind. I knew damned well what I was doing.  
"I'm doing it, I know Luffy will let me, there's nothing you can say to change my mind," I insisted.  
"Stubborn, jackass," Sanji muttered.  
"Back at you," I grumbled. 


	50. Trust

**_♡_** ** _Law_** **_♡_**

I led Luffy outside, it was hardly appropriate to have this conversation in front of other people. I held his hand but I didn't say anything until we were a decent distance from the house.   
"Stussy is a seller on the black market, she's new to it all and is actually undercover for the World Government, " I started to explain, I could feel Luffy watching me as I spoke but I couldn't bring myself to look at him. "Back when Usopp-ya went missing, just after I dropped you off at the airport, Doflamingo called me," I told him about everything, the conditions for Usopp to be let go, the constant threats to the rest of his friends and to him, the bounty he had that I took care of. Then I told him about Stussy, how Doflamingo had pushed me into it, the 'date' we had been on, and what she revealed to me then, how she wanted Zoro and me to help kill Doflamingo.  
"Torao, you're so stupid," Luffy sighed. What? I'm not sure what response I was expecting, but that was not it. "Why didn't you just tell me from the start?"  
"I don't know, but that's not everything," I shook my head. Luffy tilted his head to the side, waiting for me to explain further. "In order to keep Doflamingo from getting suspicious, Stussy and I have to look like we're dating."  
"But he knows you're with me," Luffy protested.  
"I know, but he doesn't care, as far as he's concerned, Stussy has a thing for me and making her happy, will benefit him," I said. Luffy got quite, he probably needed time to put all the pieces together in his head, it's not exactly a simple situation.  
"Zoro won't want to do it, he hates the government and anyone who has anything to do with them," Luffy finally said.   
"I thought so too, but when we were talking, she told him the Government would leave him alone if he did it."   
"Is Zoro going to?"   
"He said it was up to you, he'd do it as long as you were okay with it," I answered, Luffy looked at the ground, he jumped over a puddle while I stepped over it.   
"Hey, Traffy," Luffy hummed, he stopped walking. I turned back to see why when he grabbed my shirt collar and pulled me into a kiss. He let go of my shirt and hooked his arms around my neck, I wrapped my arm around him, pulling him closer. There was a low, cat-calling whistle that came from the direction we had been walking in. We pulled apart, at glared at whoever had done that, it was Penguin. No surprise there.   
"Hey, man," Penguin greeted with a huge grin. "Just came to check on you, looks like your house took a hit too, huh?" I nodded  
"I'll be calling the insurance company soon, did the water get as far as you or Bepo?"   
"Nah, Bepo's yard flooded but his house is fine," Penguin replied. We started walking back to my house.   
"If you need it, you and Luffy can come stay with me 'til your house is livable again, Sachi's staying with me too right now, I think Jean Bart is staying with Bepo."   
"I think I'll take you up on that offer," I said. "Though Luffy's going to be leaving pretty soon."  
"I figured as much, that HalloweenCon was pretty sweet though," Penguin was talking to Luffy now. "The way you came from beneath the stage was cool as hell."  
"You went to see it?" Luffy asked. Penguin shook his head.  
"Pirate's uploaded your show on YouTube, I had to work that night." Luffy nodded. Penguin and Luffy continued to talk about Holloween, my house shortly came into site, Zoro was sitting on the steps, leaning against the door frame, Sanji was nowhere to be seen. He looked asleep.   
"Oi, Zoro!" Luffy shouted Zoro opened his single functioning eye as Luffy ran towards him. Penguin and I were quiet for a little while.   
"What's up with you and Luffy, you two seemed crazy tense the last couple days," Penguin asked with concern. Had it been that obvious?  
"Just a misunderstanding," I said, that wasn't exactly a lie. "Everything's fine now."  
"Well that's good, I thought I might have to beat some sense into one of you, you two have something amazing, so don't fuck it up." With that, Penguin and I caught up to Luffy. Luffy and I headed to Penguins house, while Zoro went to find Sanji and headed for the hotel room they were staying in. Penguin let me barrow clean clothes, as soon as I was showered and fed I fell asleep on Penguin's couch. Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji left the next night. That same night, I caught the train to Dressrosa, I wasn't supposed to know about the meeting, Doflamingo had never told me, that I discovered shortly after my ten-hour nap.  
Still, I went to Doflamingo's new residence, a penthouse with the view of the city on the grounds that my house was destroyed and I had nowhere to stay for the night. It was still far to easy to lie to Doflamingo. Stussy had called me just before the meeting and had me mute my side of the call so nothing could be heard from her phone, she kept the call going the entire meeting. Doflamingo wanted to find a way to downplay the attention on them, to make them irrelevant in a sense, take away their fame.   
I could see why he'd have a reason to do so, but I couldn't imagine any of the others cared. It's not like I could read their body language, but from the way they spoke it wasn't hard to tell most of them thought the meeting was a waste of time. Doflamingo wanted to be able to get away with leaving a bounty on Luffy and not have any public backlashes, to do that less attention needed to be paid to them.   
It was after that meeting when I finally called my insurance, they sent someone out to look at my house and I took my car to be looked at as well. Over the time of the next few weeks, the mud was scrapped out of my house, the entire thing was gutted out, the outer paneling was replaced. I visited Fai as frequently as I could. Fai actually convinced me to just have the whole house remodeled, I think part of that was so she could have a bigger room. Where there was just an old wooden door to my backyard, was now a sliding glass door with a patio, there was still one bathroom, Fai's room was bigger, now with a bookshelf in one of the walls and a small walk-in closet, my room stayed the same size, but that I also got a small walk-in closet. The Living room was a little smaller, but not to the point that it mattered all that much. Insurance covered the basic repairs and the things that would have needed replacing either way, but a lot of the renovations Fai and I paid for. My car had a few parts that needed to be replaced, nothing too crazy, but Luffy and I wouldn't be going on any fancy dates anytime soon, in fact, it'd be a few months before I could even go see Luffy.   
Still, I talked to him every day, the hardest thing was trying to pretend to act like I was dating Stussy? That whole area of my life was confusing, I voiced my annoyance to Doflamingo about 'dating' Stussy enough for him to think I hated her, though half the time we had 'dates' Stussy was updating me on the happenings of the government, where she thought we could move with our plan. Turns out, a lot of the underground dislikes Joker, there wasn't much surprise there, the reasons behind it didn't really matter.   
"It looks like there's going to be an auction, on the 23rd, in Logue Town," Stussy hummed. We were at a cafe in Dressrosa, it was a few weeks before Christmas, I planned on going to see Luffy for the holidays. It was hard t get Christmas off, but me being me, I hadn't even tried to get Christmas off in the years that I've worked at the Hospital, so it was easier for me than for others.  
"That'd be the Black Snow," I said. "It's a black market auction held every, three years, I think. Very few get invitations, high security, the usual."   
"Oh, well, I know you and Joker are on the list, Kaido, the Mountain Witch, Linin and I are as well," she explained.  
"That sounds about right, they'll probably have five or six men with them for their personal security."   
"You've been to it before?" Stussy asked, sipping from her drink.   
"Not since I was a kid, but yes, Joker usually doesn't take bodyguards, just me and Ceasar," I explained.  
"Really?" She smirked.   
"That's it then, it's the perfect time to get him then." I shrugged at the statement.   
"Joker usually doesn't have bodyguards," I hummed. "The hard part is getting any kind of weapon in there, do you know how many assassination attempts have been made at this event?"   
"Hm," Stussy looked out the window. "That Dellinger kid has followed us again."  
"It's only a problem if he knows what we're saying." I sighed. Dellinger was outside, sitting at a bus bench across the street, I hoped the little shit was cold.   
"Can he read lips?" I glanced out at Dellinger, he made eye contact with me. I flipped him off.   
"Probably not, he would have already told Doflamingo and while Doflamingo is very smart, he's extremely impatient, which is what makes me so much better at managing his damned business. He would have already done something about it."   
"Well, I still think it's as good a time as any," Stussy said.   
"Yeah, Doflamingo will introduce his newest experiment, it's called SMILES, some drugged up fruit that doesn't leave a trace in the human body, Kaido's been buying it for years but he's putting it on the whole market that night."   
"Okay, so how's he presenting it?"   
"He and I are, it'll be the very last item showing," I said, taking a small bit from the plate in front of me. She nodded.   
"I say, during the presentation, we get rid of him, have Zoro do it, I know he prefers swords, but I've seen him use a gun too and he's a good shot. No one will suspect you if you're up there with him," there was a certain excitement in her voice as she as horrible as it may sound, I was excited too. Doflamingo will finally get what's coming to him, I'll do this for Luffy, for Fai, for Rocinante.   
"We'll need a blueprint of the building, the thing is, I had never heard of Logue Town before, and I have no idea where it'll be at."  
"Figures, you're new, they change between locations a lot, there are five locations, one for the East Continent, the West, North, and South, then one for Shinsekai City. This year it's in the East."   
"Well, the blueprint?" I thought about it, I could get one through Doflamingo, though that would make him extremely suspicious so that was a solid no, then there was Sabo. Sabo with the Revolutionaries. He definitely could get a hold of one, but he'd want a reason, especially since He's most likely on the list. He'll be wanting to put a stop to the auction. No, it makes things too complicated, Sabo didn't need to know.   
"I don't think I can get a hold of-" I thought occurred to me.   
"What?"  
"The Dark Web," I cringed at the thought of it.   
"Buying blueprints on the Dark Web?" She questioned with a stoic expression. "That's so simple, it's brilliant. Do you know how to get there?"   
"Unfortunately," I regretted the idea already.  
"Great, then let's go back to my hotel and buy a blueprint," Stussy suggested. With that, we paid for the meal and went back to Stussy's hotel room. It was one of the fancier places in town, with elegant furniture and, the room was very gray and Stussy's vibrant outfit stood out in the room. She pulled he laptop from a bright red laptop bag and set it on the black desk beneath the TV. We sat down at the desk, Stussy put in her information to log on. After that, I checked her IP address, went through the process of covering it up, it was a little different than when I used to do this, but it was done all the same, from there, I got onto the Dark Web.   
"You make it look simple, Stussy watched as I typed in the name of the building and searched around for a little while. When I found a blueprint that looked like it matched up with the actual build from what I had seen I started filling out information to order it.  
"Where am I sending this exactly?"  
"The post office in Flevance of course, it's the most reliable place," Stussy said I nodded and put in that address. Next thing, was the billing. I wasn't exactly eager to put my information down.  
"Oh, right," Stussy dug into her back and pulled out a card with the emblem of the World Government. Solved that problem. Once that was finished I closed off everything that was open, set her IP address back to normal and closed the laptop.   
"Hey, looks like we were productive today," Stussy said, she stood and fell back onto her bed.   
"I should get going," I said.   
"See you," she waved as I left. After that, I simply went home. It was a long train ride, but a short bus ride. Fai was sitting on the couch, relaxing with the remained of her leg propped up on a pillow.   
"It is still bothering you?" I asked. She shook her head.   
"It's more like I can feel my leg still there, the ghost of it, so every time I move, and there's not a foot there, I'm a little confused."   
"Huh, that's odd," I said, setting my keys and wallet on the coffee table.   
"The internet and the doctor said it was really common," Fai said, turning the volume on the TV down.   
"And that's why your leg is on a pillow, on the armrest?"  
"Swelling," Fai replied, looking back at the TV and stuffing a handful of M&M's in her mouth.   
"Still?"   
"Chill, I've already been to see a doctor, that guy- Crocus?- He said I'm fine, it's almost completely scared over he said I can be fitted for a prosthetic before Christmas." Crocus had his lows, but there were a few things he was very good at, post-surgery healing was one of them.  
"That's good. Luffy-ya offered to have his friend make you a robotic limb."  
"Oh, that'd be cool, maybe I can request a badass design, like a gun or something," Fai said.  
"Remember that you work at an ice cream shop," I said.   
"Spoilsport," Fai muttered.   
I went into my room and threw my phone and wallet onto my bed, it was probably close to midnight and I was so tired, this day had been so long. I missed Luffy, I hadn't seen him since the tsunami, sure I've spoken to him plenty, but I still missed him so much. I just laid on my bed, staring at the ceiling, I didn't really want to do anything. I was content with laying there staring at the pale ceiling and the patterns within the painting. My phone rang, I stretched out, looking for where it had gone, I knocked the phone off the bed and rolled over to find it again. Sabo, oh great.  
"Hey," I greeted once I answered.   
"Hi, Law," Sabo's voice was cheerful and far too energetic for my current mood. "How've you been?"   
Exhausted. "Fine," I answered,   
"Oh good, what are you doing for Christmas?" That's a question, I didn't have an answer to.   
"I don't know, I want to go a see Luffy-ya, but I haven't asked him what he's doing yet."  
"He usually stays with Koala and me till New Years, you and Fai should come too."   
"I'll ask her," I got out of bed and went to the living room, Fai was gracefully pouring M&Ms into her mouth from the bag.  
"Hey, do you want to go to Sabo's and Koala's for Christmas?" Fai nearly choked on her M&Ms while vigorously nodding.   
"That's a yes then," I agreed.   
"Cool, are we surprising Luffy?" I thought about it for a moment. Why the hell not?  
"Yeah," I answered.   
"Great, let me know when your flight is due," Sabo said, I could practically see that huge grin of his.  
"Yeah, see you then," I hung up the phone and headed back to my room to continue staring at my ceiling. 


	51. Plans

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ookay, so once I post tomorrow's chapter, Ao3 marks leave scars will be caught up with wattpad marks leave scars! (this was a goal, guys,) Because I can't write a chapter a day for you (i would love to but unfortunately I have a life). This story will go on the same update schedule as the one on wattpad, which is every Wednesday PST. So after this Wednesday expect one chapter a week, that's all for now, enjoy the chapter!

_**♤Luffy♡** _

We had done lots of jobs for people before, danced at parties in fancy mansions, at raves in the basements of nightclubs, we've danced on stage, outdoor food courts, parks, sidewalks, we've put on flash mobs and we've posted on social media, but one place we never danced at, was a mall. But we were here now, there was an entire platform set up for us. It was different, but it was fun. The air conditioning was a definite bonus. Not all ten of us were in one spot though, in the mall we were in there were two food courts, one was where me, Zoro, Jimbei, Robin, and Brook were. Nami, Usopp, Chopper, Sanji, and Franky were at the other.   
Brook set up his instruments, we put our phones in Brook's guitar case and got ready to start. One of the managers of the mall was there, she sat at one of the tables on her computer. She seemed far more interested in us though. Good, she'll know exactly how good we are. We started up in no time a drew the attention of the crowd. People clapped and cheered as usual, but something was different. Something felt different, it was odd, maybe it was just the environment of the mall, or that it was close to Christmas. Whatever.   
We finished off the first set of songs and took a break, that's when the manager lady left without a word.   
"Vodka is nothing compared to well-made moonshine," Zoro said, taking a drink from his slushy. Mall food was always the best after dancing all day.   
"Moonshine is just bad vodka," Jimbei noted. Zoro shook his head.   
"Then you haven't had good moonshine," Zoro decided.   
"I prefer gin, but I'll have to agree with Zoro, as long as the moonshine is made well, it is better than any vodka," Robin added.   
"What is good moonshine then?" Jimbei asked he took a bite of his churro and waited for a response.   
"You'll have to try it when we go see Vivi in a couple weeks," Zoro said with a smirk.   
"Vivi?" Jimbei questioned, I almost forgot we were going to see her soon.   
"She's our friend, she danced with us for a while and almost joined us," I recalled. I do wish she joined us, but as long as she was happy that's all that really mattered.   
"She's Nami's mark too," Robin added with a small smile.   
"Why didn't she join?" Jimbei asked.   
"She has responsibilities of her own to deal with," Zoro rested his chin on the palm of his hand and drank from his slushy some more. "You'll see soon enough."  
"Speaking of what we're doing for the holidays, who are you spending your Christmas with, Luffy?" Brook asked.   
"Obviously Sa-" There's Torao too, I honestly didn't know. Torao hadn't mentioned anything yet. Does he even want to celebrate Christmas? That's a silly question, of course, he does. "Huh, I dunno." I shrugged and took a big gulp of my slushy, I'll just have to ask Traffy the next time I talk to him. That'll probably be later today.   
"What have you all got planned then?" Brook asked.  
"I'll be going to visit Iceberg with Franky this year," Robin replied  
"I'm going to Sanji's old man's place again," Zoro added.  
"I think I'll go back to my hometown," Jimbei said. Brook nodded and looked down at his iced tea with a small smile.   
"I'll also be going back to my hometown," Brook said.   
"Th-" Zoro had started to say something when a little boy, six or seven years old came up to our table. He had sandy blond hair and a missing tooth.   
"Hey, you're Strawhat Luffy right?" I asked with a huge grin.  
"Yup," I smiled, "Who wants to know?"  
"I'm Davey," The kid said proudly, "How'd you learn to dance? My brother says you guys don't really do all those cool flips, you just edit it in videos."  
"Does he?" Robin asked, amused by the kid.   
"Yeah, I told him he's wrong but he still says that," Davey said, leaning against the table.   
"I think we ought to prove this brother of yours wrong," Robin said.   
"Really?" Davey asked, standing up on his toes. He turned and ran for another table, where another boy was sitting along with a woman and a little girl.   
"Luffy, would you come dance with me?" Robin asked.  
"Alright." I got up and took another drink of my slushy.  
"Brook, some music if you would, I think something upbeat from Disney may be appropriate," Robin and I went over to the platform we had been dancing on before. Brook joined us with his guitar.  
" _Stand_ _Out,_ sound good to you?" Brook asked.  
"Shishi, perfect!" Brook started playing and Robin and I started dancing. There was no planning to it, which was honestly my favorite thing to do while dancing. Robin and I made everything up as we went and Robin reminded me to put a few flips in there to show off for that kid.  
"See, I told you," Davey announced just as we finished the song. The three of us went back to the table with laughs. It was moments later that the little kid dragged his older brother over to us.   
"See, the Strawhats are cool, and I'm gunna be just like you guys one day!"   
"In that case, you'll need something unique to the Strawhats won't you?" Robin asked with a smile. "Anyone have a pen?"  
Jimbei passed her a pen.   
"Alright, close your eyes," Robin ordered. Davey did as she asked. Robin leaned close to him and started drawing something by his eye.   
"Woah," the older kid said. I didn't see it until Robin was done, she drew my scar onto Davey's face.  
"What is it? What did you do?" Davey asked, trying to look down at his face. Robin pulled out her phone and opened the camera and showed him.  
"Wow! Look Luffy, I'm cool just like you!" The kid ran around the table to me it was weird being praised by a kid.   
"Well, I don't think you need to be like me to be cool," I said. "But that is pretty cool."   
"Hey, where the rest of there's only- one, two, three, four -five of you! Davey pointed out.  
"They're around here somewhere,"  
"Davey!" The woman that was clearly the kids' mom exclaimed in embarrassment. She came up to us. "I'm sorry if he was bothering you."  
"Shishi, don't worry about it," I said with a smile. "We were just having fun." I held my fist out and offered it to Davey, he met my fist bump proudly and finished it with a high-five. There was a sharp gasp from his mother.   
Yep, she saw my marks, ah well.  
"See ya, Luffy!" The kid grinned as his mother dragged him away, with his brother following them. After that, we went back to dancing, the mall only hired us to be there a few hours so, at the end of the afternoon, we met back up with Nami and the others and went back to our hotel. The day was pretty quiet after that, quieter than normal. I got bored and decided to walk around town. This city was just like any other city, it was warm but cloudy today which wasn't all that rare. My wrist started to bother me, nothing like it had before, it didn't tingle or burn or itch but it was just... annoying, I looked down at my marks, they all looked the same, six of them. No wonder that lady had reacted that way, no one has six marks, that's just weird. I tried not to think about it. My phone started to ring loudly, I patted down my pockets to find it.   
"Hiya, Sabo!"   
"Hey, Lu, what day are you gonna land here for Christmas?" Sabo sounded distracted, there was a lot of talking in the background too.   
"Mmm, probably somewhere around the 19th," I still wasn't sure if I was going to see Law, I missed him a bunch. I haven't even talked to him since yesterday morning.  
"Damn," He muttered.  
"Why? What's wrong?" I frowned, Sabo doesn't usually act this way.   
"Ah, nothing, there's just a lot going on right now." There was some incoherent shouting coming from Sabo's end of the call. "I'll see you then, Lu." Sabo hung up, that was a little odd, usually, he'd just text me about stuff like that. My marks were still bothering me. I ignored it and decided to call Torao. It rang a couple times before he answered.  
"Hey, you," Law answered, he sounded almost as distracted as Sabo had been.   
"Whatchya doin'?" I asked.   
"I'm at work," He replied.  
"Oops, sorry." I started to cross a busy street, I didn't really have a set destination, I was just walking.  
"It's fine, I'd rather talk to you anyway." Sometimes Traffy just said really cheesy things that made me smile. "What have you been up to all day?"   
"Not much, we performed at a mall most the day." I turned a corner. "It was inside, so it was kinda different. Ne, Torao, what are you doing for Christmas? 'Cause I think you should come to Sabo's with me, I know he won't mind."  
"Luffy, babe, I've gotta work on Christmas," Law said.   
"Oh..." I frowned, who would want a surgery on Christmas? "Well, I'll come to see you then!"   
"You should go visit Sabo-ya, I know you don't see him very often," Law insisted.  
"But I want to see you, I miss you," I muttered, staring at the ground and kicking at the tiny pebbles on the sidewalk.   
"I'll try to catch a flight to you after Christmas, how 'bout that?" Law suggested I guess that was better than nothing.  
"Alright, fine but if you don't I'm going to go to you," I promised.  
"It's a deal," Law said. "I've gotta go, love you, I'll call you later."  
"Love you-" The phone went silent, "-too." I bit my lip and stared down at the end call screen on my phone. I don't know if I can wait until after Christmas to see him. I missed him so damned much. How do Nami and Usopp do it? They only see their girlfriends every couple of months, I've been away from Torao for about one. I just wanted to see him, and hug him and be near him. I decided to head back to the hotel, the problem was I stopped paying attention to where I was going and now I didn't know the way back.   
I wandered around the city for a while, in the general area I had come from while I walked, the only thing I remember clearly was the places I had passed before Sabo called. I'd ask for help from someone if I remember the name of the hotel we were staying in, guess I'll have to call on of the others. I pulled out my phone to and opened my contacts, I'll just call the first name that comes up. Which was Usopps, he was the last one I had texted. I was about to call when my phone was ripped from my grip by someone zooming by on a skateboard I was shocked at first and looked down at the person who had snatched my phone. They were zooming down the sidewalk like they had done nothing wrong.   
"HEY!" I shouted, running after them. They turned a corner fast and sharp, it was a little impressive. It'd be even more impressive if they didn't have my phone. I turned the same corner they had to see them disappearing into a house. Asshole, I ran up to it and knocked on the door.   
"Hi?" A man asked, he was older, maybe in his forties, he definitely wasn't the one to take my phone.   
"Someone stole my phone and I saw them come into this place," I said. "They were on a skateboard." The man rubbed his forehead and dragged his hand to his scruffy black beard and rubbed his chin.   
"Come in, please," The man said, clearing the doorway for me. I stepped inside, the house wasn't exactly nice, but it was decent enough. It reminded me of Dadan's place that Ace, Sabo, and I had stayed in as kids. Inside there were four kids on the couch, one was playing on a phone, another was reading a book, the third and fourth were thumb wrestling. None of them were older than twelve. It sounded like there were more kids in the kitchen too. The girl reading a book peered up to look at me.   
"Apis, would you go get Aisa?" The man asked. The girl with the book closed it and got off the couch and went upstairs.   
"I'm sorry about that, I'll see to it that Aisa apologizes and learns her lesson," He promised.   
"No worries, I just want my phone back, it'd suck If I had to buy another one." Moments later the two girls came down again. Apis sat on the steps with her book in her lap.  
"You can't prove I stole anything," she said with her arms crossed, glaring at the older man.   
"Not physically, just give me the phone and we'll have a long talk in a few minutes," the man said. Aisa turned back to go up the stairs.   
"Aisa."  
"I have to get the phone to give it back," she retorted, continuing up the stairs and around Apis.  
"Damned kids," the guy muttered, I don't think I had ever felt homesick for Dadan's old mountain cabin until that moment.  
"I like this place," I said, looking around, the more things I noticed the more it reminded me of when I was a kid. "It reminds me of where I grew up, I did stuff like Aisa did to me all the time."   
"Really?" The guy asked.  
"Yup, I usually got away with it though," one of the other kids on the couch looked over at us.  
"I've been looking after these kids for years, Aisa's been here since she was a baby, the older she gets, the harder she is to deal with." Now he sounded like gramps. Aisa came back down the stairs with my phone.   
"Too bad, it's new, probably could have sold it for full price," Aisa complained giving me the phone.   
"Well, pickpocketing is usually a better method than grabbing something from someone's hand and running off, you can get a head start that way," I said. The girl was a little surprised.   
"Fair enough," Aisa shrugged. The man had to hold back from laughing.  
"Thanks," I said, sliding my phone into my pocket and headed out the door.   
It closed behind me. I pulled out my wallet and pulled out several bills, I didn't carry a lot of cash on me very often, but this ought to do. It was the only cash I had. After making sure there was no one off the streets that could take the money, I slipped it between the top of the door and the doorframe. Now to call Usopp. 


	52. Busy

**_♡Law♡_ **

Once Stussy and I started planning, days went by fast. I'd go an entire day without waiting for the right time to call Luffy. Between work and Stussy I wasn't thinking about him nearly as much as I usually have been. I missed him all the same. When he asked about Christmas, he had caught me a little off guard, I made something up, all the same, I had decided to surprise Luffy after all. It took a few weeks, once Stussy and I figured everything out, she had filled Zoro in on the plan. The only thing that I didn't like at all, was the fact that the auction was in the same town Sabo lived in. Luffy will want to be there and I can't have that.   
"Law!" Fai shouted, barging into my room and making my heart rate spike up.   
"What?" I asked hesitantly.  
"What are you getting Luffy for Christmas?"   
"That question should be what did I get him," I corrected. I got up and got into my closet, pulling the box from the highest shelf, I knew Luffy couldn't reach it there, though that didn't matter seeing as he wasn't around much. It was something small, but I know Luffy would love it. I pulled out a small book thin and elegant, much more my style than Luffy's. I passed the book to Fai, she opened it to reveal pictures, there weren't very many in there, just a couple with him and me in them. There was space for all the other pictures he had too.   
"A couple of pictures?" Fai questioned.  
"Luffy-ya has a bunch of pictures in the inner netting of his suitcase, a few of them are old and worn, I figured these," I pulled a matching book out of the box to show Fai. " would be something nice."   
"Huh, I guess that is a pretty good present," Fai decided.   
"I've gotten Sabo and Koala things, I just don't know what to get Luffy," Fai sighed and crossed her arms.  
"He'll like pretty much anything," I assured. I hadn't even thought about the other two, I had Fai's present already though. Did Koala like perfume? Maybe a gift card to Starbucks would be better. And what about Sabo?  
"That's not helpful," Fai sighed. Fai set the book back into the box and I returned it to the self it came from. "You're his boyfriend, give me some ideas."  
"Tch, no." I returned to my laptop and my bed.   
"You suck," Fai sighed and let herself plop onto my bed.   
"Mhm." Fai stared at my ceiling for a little while before rolling on her stomach.   
"Watchya doing, anyway?" She scooted up closer to me and peeked around the edge of my computer screen.   
"Oh my god," Fai gasped, sitting up and taking my laptop.  
"Hey!"   
"That's so cute," Fai giggled as she moved to the other end of my bed.   
"Give that back," I demanded. Fai continued to laugh.  
"You were looking at videos of the Strawhats!" Fai exclaimed  
"Give me my laptop you shit."  
"Awe, your blushing," Fai cooed, she tapped on the touchpad of the laptop and music started playing. I pushed the screen down to shut the laptop.   
"I hate you," I grumbled, taking the computer from her.  
"Or ya just miss Luffy," Fai said as she got up and headed out the door.  
"That too," I muttered. I considered opening up my laptop again before my phone started ringing. I picked it up quickly, half expecting it to be Luffy, it wasn't.   
"Yeah?" I answered.   
"I need you here in Dressrosa for the night, can you make it?" Doflamingo asked. I mean, technically I could, as long as I took the train.   
"Why?"   
"Pressing matters, you know we don't talk business over the phone," Doflamingo scoffed. It was truly annoying how irregularly precautious Doflamingo was.   
"Yeah, yeah," I muttered. "I can be there in a few hours, I'll need a ride from the train station." That was if the train schedule is in my favor. As often as I had taken it to Dressrosa, I should have had the times memorized. I knew a few for sure, but for the most part I usually just got lucky.   
"I'll send Dellinger." Doflamingo hung up. I hated that kid, and it was no secret that he felt the same.  
"Hey Fai?" I called, heading into the living room.   
"Yeah?" She called back from her bedroom. I stopped in her doorway.   
"Do you know what time the train runs to Dressrosa?" She was well seasoned in the art of travel between Dressrosa and Flevance so it wouldn't hurt to ask.  
"There's one at 7:30, and another at 11:00," Fai said without looking away from the TV.  
"Is it Stussy or Doffy this time?"   
"Doflamingo," I sighed and ran my hand through my hair.   
"I'm a little surprised he didn't come here," Fai said, I nodded and checked the time. It was 7:15 now, It'd take me ten minutes to get there.   
"I should get going, don't know when what time I'll be back, before tomorrow hopefully."  
"You're walking? It's cold out, I can take you to the station," Fai offered.  
"You sure?" I glanced at the stump that was her leg, she had gotten fitted for a prosthetic yesterday, she still didn't have it though.  
"I don't need my left leg to drive," she said.   
"I guess." I got the things I might need, wallet, house key, pocket knife. It wouldn't do much, but no one knew I carried one whenever I had to do anything that had to do with Doflamingo, so it'd be a surprise if I ever had to use it. Fai dropped me off a few minutes later, I waited at the station for few more minutes before the train stopped, which was earlier than it was supposed to. I would have missed it if I walked. Nonetheless, I got on and listened to music, alone in my thoughts for the ride.   
Dellinger was waiting for me in his car outside. It was obvious the little dickhead was annoyed at having to pick me up. I couldn't care less.   
"Why did you come to Dressrosa?" Dellinger asked out of the blue. Um, what?  
"Doflamingo called-"  
"No-not today, I mean the first time when Doffy had that Strawhat guy," Dellinger bit, though he was trying not to sound rude. I would much rather avoid a conversation with him. What was with the sudden interest anyway?  
"Doflamingo kidnapped my boyfriend," I retorted.  
"Yeah, but the way everyone talked about you was like you didn't give a shit about anyone, no one thought you were going to come back," I had no clue why Dellinger had started this conversation, but something in the way he spoke that reminded me of my younger self.   
"Doflamingo is a man I would prefer to have never met, the same goes for the rest of you."  
"Why?" I was wishing Dressrosa was smaller, this was a huge city and 11 to midnight was a very high traffic time for the city.   
"There's a lot of reasons, and I don't think you'd care to hear any of them." Did the train station really need to be so close to the edge of town?  
"I want to hear them," Dellinger paused for a while, turning from one busy road to another, the traffic was almost at a halt here. Great. "Doffy did something that...it made me question a lot." I sighed. This kid was probably in a similar boat that I was in. I didn't care what I ended up doing until I found out what Doflamingo had to do with Flevance. That was right around Dillenger's age when I found out too.   
"How much do you know about Rocinante, actually, you probably know him by Corazon."  
"Mm, not much, Baby Five was the only one who ever brought him up, when she did Doffy avoided the topic." I nodded.  
"Her name is Fai, and he was Doflamingo's younger brother, he took care of me for a few years after my parents died, then he brought me to Doflamingo, I can't remember why probably to cover his ass like usual."  
"His brother? Doffy killed his brother?" Dillinger sounded horrified, still, he kept his eyes on the road. "Why?"  
"Cora wasn't cut out for this business, he had gone through all the training to become a soldier, but he dropped it all when he had to take care of me," I explained, I didn't mind telling Dillinger some of Doflamingo's history. He should know, especially if Doflamingo still intends to have Dillinger take over one day. "From what I know, Doflamingo asked Cora to kill a couple of nosy kids, and he didn't want to hurt any kids, he threw off the order on purpose, he started to do it more and more, then Doflamingo found out." I paused for a while, traffic had halted altogether.   
"Cora just didn't want to kill people, so Doflamingo killed him."  
"That's it?" Dellinger glanced at me, I nodded, then remember the original question he asked me. "I used to get into a lot of trouble, I had run away a few different times. The only reason I ever went back was because of Cora. Doflamingo told me, the night that Corazon died, If I ever tried to run away again he'd pin Cora's murder on me and promised me I'd never get a career in medicine after that."   
"Shit," Dellinger muttered. I considered a way to tell him about Flevance that wouldn't directly relate to me, but I knew I couldn't manage that. I still have a hard time managing that.   
" Ba-Fai brought up Flevance quite a bit too, especially when she and Doffy got into fights," Dellinger said after several minutes of silence.  
"Hm," I guess there was no getting around that, I'd tell him the facts and let him make whatever conclusion he was looking for. "Flevance used to be a lead mining town, everything was made of white lead and it caused a lot of illness. It was the same thing Sugar had.  
"The disease wasn't contagious, but Doflamingo paid off Cesar to prove it was, from there, the government burned the entire city to the ground, killing all of the residents. At the time I lived there with my parents and my younger sister." I watched Dellinger to gauge his reaction, a jaw drop and some mumbling was part of it. Dellinger and I sat in silence and crept through the traffic.   
"Trebol, always said Doffy raised you and gave you everything you had to be who are today, not those words exactly but, I just assumed you were an ungrateful asshole."   
"Trebol-ya isn't wrong, but he killed everyone around me in order to do that."  
"What did you do? How did you manage to get away?" I thought about it for a moment. All I could see in Dellinger was myself, a little slower and a lot more aggressive rather than passive aggressive, but myself all the same.   
"I skipped two grades in high school and graduated after my sophomore year, then went through university just as fast, I was starting med-school when Cora died, Doflamingo was paying for everything, that's what kept me here for so long. It got the point where I couldn't take being near them anymore, I ran away again, as much as I hated it, once I finished school I left. I went back to Flevance, I had some friends from when I lived there who evacuated the town before it was destroyed that moved back. Got a residency at the hospital there."   
"Did Doffy know where you went? How come he didn't just make you come back?" Dellinger asked so many damned questions.  
"He sent Fai-ya to find me, it took her two years, but she figured out where I was, it was a whole year before she told Doflamingo," I continued. "He never saught me out though, he probably found you by then."  
"He always preferred you, he talked about you like it, everyone would've rather had you," Dellinger muttered glaring at the road. "That's why I've hated you so much."  
"I don't want anything to do with Doflamingo, you can have the whole damned thing."  
"Why are you working with him now?" "  
"He's threatened Luffy-ya and his friends," I said simply, traffic was starting to pick up again. Dellinger was quiet for a while.   
"Since you've gotten back Doffy has been keeping me from going to meetings. The big one in October was supposed to be the first big one I was going to." Dellinger muttered.  
"Probably has nothing to do with you, after what happened the last time he forced me to stay in Dressrosa, Doflamingo lost a lot of business, he's just using me to get it back because I have experience and I know how to negotiate. On top of that, everything gets tense and stand-offish when someone new comes in, especially after what I did at my first meeting," I said, I could see Doflamingo's new place in the distance, though it'd still be a few minutes before we got there.   
"You killed a man with a scalpel," Dellinger muttered. I cringed at the thought of that but nodded. Everyone mentions that like it's some noble thing, they don't know when I went to clean off the blood splatter less than five minutes later I had a nervous breakdown Corazon had to coax me out of. I leaned against the door, staring at the blurry scenes passing by. Dillinger didn't ask any more questions after that. It was a silent ride the rest of the way.   
We got to the building pretty close to one in the morning.   
"This better be good," I grumbled, finding Doflamingo in the kitchen.   
"Law, good, want a drink?" Doflamingo asked, pouring himself some sort of whiskey.   
"No, I want to know why I'm here at 1:00 am," I retorted, leaning on the counter. Dellinger set to make himself a bowl of cereal, he was trying to listen to our conversation, and that wasn't all that subtle, this kid has got some work to do.   
"Stussy called me," He stated, glancing at me over his glasses. I bit the inside of my cheek as panicked thoughts raced through my head. What if she was baiting me into betraying Doffy? I tried to reason with myself and give myself reasons to trust her but that wasn't working very well.  
"And?"  
"She agreed to a trade deal, a big one, I don't know what you're doing with her but it's working," Doflamingo grinned.   
"That's it? You made me come all the way here for that?" I asked.  
"Of course not, I need you to take your relationship further, do whatever it takes to do so." I glared at Doflamingo, he just grinned.   
"Like what?" I bit, already knowing at least a part of the answer.   
"Ditch strawhat, don't, whatever, I don't care," Doflamingo waved his hand. Fuck him. He really thought I'd do such a thing?  
"That's not happening, Stussy-ya knows I have a black mark so it doesn't matter," I muttered. Doflamingo shrugged. There were a few moments of silence between us, Dellinger had left with his cereal well before that.   
"It that all?" If so, it was stupid for me to come here.   
"No, Kaido is buying too many Smiles, at this rate, we'll have to push back their release."  
"We can't just cut him off..." I muttered. "Raise your prices for him then, he's the only one buying, it's not like he can take it to the others."   
"That would make him angry," Doflamingo noted.   
"So what? He's a big boy, he can suck it up," I said. Doflamingo nodded with a low chuckle, he turned to the counter behind him, picked up a stack of papers, and set it on the island. I looked through them, it was mostly just numbers, the amount we had versus the amount being sold and the amount we're producing.   
"It looks like you should have raised the prices a while ago, there's hardly anything for the auction. Raise the price 20%, it'll be enough to make sure Kaido can't afford as much as he's buying but he won't be able to retaliate with sensibility."   
"That's is why you're perfect for this line of work," Doflamingo said proudly. I rolled my eyes.   
"I'll never willing work in this 'business' especially not for you," I promised. Doflamingo frowned, had he forgotten that I hate him?  
"The auction date has been moved to the 26th," Doflamingo said, ignoring my comment.   
"Any reason?"   
"Not that I know of, everything else is the same, 5 pm, Logue Town, and so on," Doflamingo answered. Doflamingo and I talked for a few more minutes about the other things Doflamingo was selling, eventually, he called Dellinger in to talk. Dellinger and I were going to the Auction with Doflamingo. Caesar would also be there, though he wasn't going with Doflamingo. This could work for Stussy's plan. I'd have to call her on the train. We hashed out details for a while longer before Dellinger took me back to the train station. He was pretty distracted the whole ride and didn't ask me anything or incline me to talk. The radio was the only thing to fill the silence. I managed to catch the 3 am train and made it back to Flevance by 5:30. Just enough time for me to have a slow morning getting ready for work, oh joy.   
Went I got home I took a shower, made coffee and lunch, then breakfast, setting some aside for Fai when she got up. I got to the hospital at seven and prepared for the day. It was busy, especially in the afternoon. Right around lunchtime I missed a call from Luffy and didn't have the time to call him back. Hell, I hardly had time to enjoy my lunch. It slowed down in the evening, still, when I got home, I was exhausted, I went right to bed.   
I called Luffy the moment I woke up.  
"Hiya Torao!" Luffy greeted on the second ring. The background was noisy, he was out somewhere. Where ever it was, I hope he was having fun.  
"Good morning," I sighed.  
"Its one in the afternoon," Luffy corrected.   
"Well, it's 8 in the morning here, so good morning,"  
"Shishishi, morning," Luffy said.   
"What have you been up to?" I asked.  
"Just dancing like usual, we got a really big crowd today," Luffy said, he mentioned something about a little girl and a stuffed animal. And he talked about Marco wanting to start a merchandise line for them. I thought they should do it, their fans would love it. I talked with him for a long time, at least an hour, I didn't keep track of time. It was only when Luffy started getting scolded for being on the phone so long that we said our goodbyes. There was a knock at my bedroom door.  
"Yeah?" I called, Fai opened the door with her laptop, her charger, and snacks from the kitchen piled on top.  
"Lazy day? " She asked.   
"Absolutely," I agreed, Fai smiled and crawled under the covers next to me, she turned on her laptop, plugged in her charger, and opened up her Netflix. We binged movies and TV shows that entire day.   
We hadn't done anything close to that since Corazon was alive. 


	53. Alabasts

_**♤** _ _**Luffy♡** _

The weeks leading up to Christmas went by fast, especially since we were designing merchandise. Each one of us would go in to design something specifically to us, I made a T-shirt with a drawing of my strawhat on it and the scar on under my eye. Nami made a charm bracelet with tangerines on it and so on, for the Strawhats as a whole, we made a hoodie with STRAWHATS written across the front and all our signatures down the sleeves. None of it would be available until after New Years but I still got Torao, Fai, Koala, and Sabo the hoodie and the shirt. I was going to give it to them as Christmas presents, of course, I was getting them all something else too. So far I had gotten everyone but Law a present. I just didn't know what to get him!   
"Luffy, it's time to board," Robin said.   
"Alright," I stood and stretched, the eight of us got on board the plane, poor Chopper had to ride with the cargo. I hated sending him away like that, it wasn't fair to him. Chopper was a good boy, he wouldn't bother anyone. Still, he flew with the cargo.   
The flight was five hours long to get to Vivi's town. we landed, tired and wanting to move around, and wanting a full meal.  
"Vivi!" Nami shouted, running to greet her. I caught up to Vivi and Nami first, Vivi hugged me. The others caught up too.  
"I haven't seen you guys in so long," Vivi said, She hugged each of us until Robin.  
"I know I haven't met you all," she said, addressing Franky, Brook, Chopper, and Jimbei.   
"You must be Brook," She said to Brook. Vivi did something similar with the others. Frank and Brook had been with us last Christmas, did we not see Vivi? It was too confusing to think about, oh well, we were here now.   
We went to Vivi's house and had dinner with her dad and friends before finally going to bed.

"Get up lazy," Usopp said, shaking me awake.   
"Why?" I muttered, rolling over and pulling the covers over my head. Usopp yanked them off of me.  
"We're going sledding," Usopp said. I sat up immediately  
"With water balloons?" Usopp nodded.   
"Vivi, Nami, Robin, and Jimbei are making them right now." I jumped up from my bed.  
"Sanji said breakfast will be done soon too," Usopp added as he left my borrowed room. I changed and headed downstairs to the kitchen. Everyone else was already awake and either sitting at the table inside the kitchen or in the dining room next to the kitchen. Then there was Robin, Jimbei, Vivi, and Nami filling up balloons with water and food coloring, and Sanji who was cooking. I sat down at the kitchen table with Usopp, Zoro, and Brook.   
"Are you kidding, the pass would be better, there's a longer slope," Usopp pointed out.  
"The hill has a steeper slope," Zoro argued.  
"Longer slope means more chance to throw the balloons," Usopp pointed out.  
"Usopp's right," Brook and I said at the same time.  
"Jinx!" I shouted. "You owe me a balloon."  
"Hey, that's not fair, Book's never played before," Usopp said.  
"But jinx," I mumbled.   
"Go easy on 'em," Zoro said.  
"Fine, a pancake," I decided.   
"If you insist," Brook said.   
"Breakfast!" Sanji shouted.  
"Alright," I jumped from my seat and ran into the kitchen, Sanji set out a plate for me and started putting together the next.  
"Thanks, Sanji!" I called as I returned my seat. We ate and finished getting ready to go, taking Vivi's big truck so we could put all the sleds in it. The drive with all the snow took at least an hour to get through town and up to the pass. We didn't bother stopping but we played loud music to sing to. Vivi asked me about Law a lot.   
We got to the skiing slope, the ski lodge itself was closed right now but the slope itself was up for grabs.   
"Alright, let's get everything ready!" Vivi said. We all climbed out of the truck and unloaded the sleds and buckets of balloons. I pulled a pile of sleds onto the crunchy snow. I waited for the others to get the stuff they were carrying.   
"Usopp! Race ya!" I shouted, running off. Chopper barked and followed me, running at my heels in the snow.   
"Hey! You got a head start," Usopp retorted. I dragged the sleds behind me as I ran. Chopper rushed passed me as we got closer to the top of the hill. It wasn't anything huge in terms of a ski slope but it was perfect for sledding.   
I reached the top just after Chopper did.   
"Look, Chopper won," I announced, kneeling down and scratching his back.   
Chopper stood up on his hind legs and put his front paws on my chest and started the lick my face.   
"Gross," I pushed Chopper off and stood back up. The others were making their way up the snowy hillside, skiing tracks had flattened out the now so it was perfect for sledding. They were hauling up a few buckets and sleds, Nami and Vivi were half way up. The hill was surrounded by snow-covered mountainsides and forest. Chopper barked and rang between Usopps legs and headbutted my leg.  
"Hey!" I pushed Chopper over and he rolled in the snow, wagging his tail, he ran for Usopp. Chopper stuck his but up in the air and barked. I scooped up a wad of snow and threw it at him. Chopper talked me into the snow and Usopp started laughing.   
"That's what you get for picking on Chopper when he had no thumbs," Usopp stated.   
"Are you guys done?" Nami asked. Chopper kicked up snow as he barreled towards Nami.   
"Don't even think about it," Nami warned Chopper. Vivi reached the top of the hills and stooped down to play with Chopper.  
"We waited for the others to catch up, they were almost to the top. Once everyone got to the top Usopp and I set up all five sleds.  
"Oi, Franky, Brook, Jimbei," C'mere," Usopp said, the three gathered around while everyone else was separating the balloons equally like we usually did. I stayed with Usopp and Chopper, what else was there to do while we waited?  
"You guys have never played, so we've gotta explain the rules, right Luf?"  
"Yeah," I agreed.  
"Okay so first, where those buckets are set up, there's ten buckets, one for each person, but, we're gunna race to them and grab as many as we can, They're filled with food coloring and warm water in them. The buckets are the same color as the food coloring, make sense?" Usopp asked. Jimbei, Franky, and Brook nodded. "You and your partner have to collect as many of the same colors as possible."   
"Whoever gets the most color on the snow and gets to the bottom first wins," I added.   
"Guys, we're ready!" Vivi shouted.  
"Alright, let's go!"   
"Dibs on Chopper!" Nami called as I ran to the line that everyone was making. "Chopper!"   
"That's fine, me and Luffy don't need a set of paws to win," Usopp said. We stood about fifteen or twenty feet away from the line of buckets.   
"Red?" Usopp asked.   
"Yup," I smiled. There were two red buckets on opposite ends, one was right in front of Usopp.   
"Go for the long one," Usopp said.  
"Got it."   
"Alright, ready..." Vivi started, "...set...Go!"  
I ran for the red bucket on the far end, I got ahead of everyone, Sanji was right behind me. I grabbed the bucket and ran for Usopp, who was waiting by a sled. Vivi and Nami got to their sled at the same time as I got to Usopp. Usopp starting going before I even got there, I jumped onto the back of the sled. Nami and Vivi got going right behind us, Zoro and Sanji were right behind them. I started throwing balloons at them, making sure to hit the snow, Red was always the strongest color so Usopp liked to pick that one when we raced.   
"Lean to the right!" Usopp ordered. I did and he told and kept throwing balloons and watching the color spatter across the snow, my hands were going numb from the cold but that didn't matter as long as we win. Chopper came sprinting down the hill and stopped in front of Usopp and me.  
"ChopPeR move!" Usopp yelled. Chopper just sat down.   
"Go around him, I'll grab him," I said, throwing a few more balloons.   
"Lean left." Usopp went around Chopper and I grabbed him and pulled him onto our seld. I set Chopper between me and Usopp and kept throwing balloons.  
"We had dibs on Chopper!" Nami yelled.  
"Well, Chopper got in our way," I yelled back and threw a water balloon at them. Vivi threw a balloon at me, dowsing Usopp and I in orange water.   
"You, bitch," Usopp cursed.   
"That's my girlfriend you're talking about," Nami bit, ramming their sled into ours.   
"Your girlfriend is an asshole," Usopp retorted.  
"Sorry Usopp," Vivi smiled.   
"C'mere Chopper," Vivi called.  
"Luffy!"   
"Get outta here," I pushed Nami and Vivi's sled away, Chopper jumped off of our sled and into Vivi's lap. "Traitor!" I yelled at him. We were close to the bottom and I kept throwing the balloons so the hillside was covered in red. Usopp and I slid to a stop with Nami and Vivi right next to us. It was almost a tie, but Usopp and I we clearly first.   
"Damn!" Nami cursed, still she climbed off the sled and turned to see the hillside. Zoro and Sanji slid to a stop, orange, red and green covered the hillside, Robin and Frank came to a stop with purple being their color, then Jimbei and Brook with dark blue.   
"We won!" Usopp declared.   
"Again, damn, hey, Luf, next time I'll trade you, partners," Zoro promised.  
"Okay," I agreed.   
"Wait, who lost?" Sanji asked.   
"One, two, three..." Nami started counting color splatters.  
"You and Zoro were green?"  
"Yeah,"   
"You and Zoro."  
"Damn it," Sanji muttered. I scooped up a hand full of snow while Zoro started counting splatters just to be sure.   
"Usopp," I grinned as I held up a misshapen snowball. Usopp smiled and picked up a fist full of snow. We both walked up behind Zoro, he was still counting the splatters. Sanji saw us and was about to say something but decided not to.   
"NOW!" I yelled and jumped on Zoro's back, I pushed the snow down the front of Zoro's jacket and shirt.  
"You shit!" Zoro shouted, flipping me over his back and into the snow. Zoro grabbed a bunch of snow and was ready to throw it in my face when Usopp dropped snow into the back of Zoro's jacket and shirt. Sanji started laughing, and Zoro got up to chase after Usopp. I wrapped my arms around his legs.   
"Run Usopp!" I yelled, Sanji started laughing harder.   
"You want some too, cook?" Zoro asked he threw the snow that had been intended for me at Sanji. Sanji wadded up some more snow and threw it as Zoro but missed and hit Vivi. A full-on snowball fight broke out from there. No one was safe. Zoro threw snowballs the hardest, especially at me. I was sure some of them would leave marks but it was fun all the same. By the time we stopped at the little town on the way back to Alabasta we were all soaked.   
"Sanji and Zoro get to pay, so eat as much as you want Luffy," Nami said as we went inside Koza's diner.   
"Toto," Vivi called, seeing him cleaning up a table.  
"Oh, Vivi, it's been a while," the old man smiled and hugged her we found a big table to sit at. "Can you tell Koza I'm here?" Vivi asked. Nami frowned, she'd never admitted it but I don't think she liked Koza very much.   
"Of course, can I get you all anything?"  
"I'll make Koza take our order," Vivi said. Toto nodded and left. "I'll be right back." Vivi got up from the table and went outside. Which left us to decide what to eat. Vivi came back inside a few moments later, just as Koza came from the kitchen.   
"Vivi, you're still here? I thought you ran off with the Strawhats months ago," Koza greeted.   
"As fun as that might be, I've got responsibilities here," Vivi said, she stood and hugged Koza, smashing a handful of melted snow onto his head. Vivi started to laugh as she sat back down.   
"Fair enough, what do you all want?" Koza asked. We all ordered before Koza left Vivi spoke.  
"Get something for yourself and come eat with us," she insisted. Less than thirty minutes later, Koza and another waitress came back with our food. Koza sat down next to Vivi and we dug in, talking, sharing stories, the usual. After a few hours, Sanji and Zoro covered the bill and we headed back to town. It was still early in the afternoon, so we went to rent movies and watched TV with everyone and had some awesome hot cocoa. We went to bed late that night.

"Luffy, Luffy, Luffy!" Vivi was shaking me awake.  
"What?" I muttered.  
"I need your help," Vivi whispered.  
"With what?"  
"Come see, you'll need your boots," she said. I climbed out of bed, Vivi gasped.  
"Luffy, what happened?" Vivi reached her hand out and touched my chest, where the scar is.   
"Oh, it's a boring story," I said, I pulled a shirt and boots on.   
"I don't care if it's boring, who did that to you?"   
"Some lady at Impel Down, it was a long time ago," I said. We went down the stairs, through the living room, and outside the front door. It was really cold out.  
"Look," she pointed out a giant Christmas tree.  
"That's so cool!" I said. The thing was tall, taller than Brook. And fat too.   
"I need help carrying it," Vivi said.  
"Shishish, no problem." Vivi and I pushed it to its side and carried the chopped down tree inside. we brought it into the living room and set it in the corner. Vivi put a skirt around the bottom of it and the two of us hung up the lights.   
"Okay, now before we finish decorating it we've gotta call everyone down, I've got a surprise for everyone,"   
"You're so cool," I said.  
"Let's go wake everyone up."  
Vivi and I ran upstairs with pots and wooden spoons.   
"One," She started.  
"Two."  
"Three!" We started banging on the pots without spoons, running down the hall.  
"Everyone up!" I shouted, Vivi too. I went into Zoro's and Sanji's room, I knew it'd be hard to get them up. I jumped on their bed and started banging on the pot.  
"Get up lazy bones!" I shouted.  
"Luffy you little shit!" Sanji yelled, throwing a pillow at me.  
"Missed! Get up!"  
"When the hell did we adopt a toddler?" Zoro muttered.   
"C'mon, Vivi has a surprise for us," I said. Sanji and Zoro started to get out of bed, I left the room to go make sure everyone else was up. Vivi and I dragged everyone down to the living room. Vivi pulled a big box from behind one of the giant house plants. She opened it and pulled out a smaller box, two of them actually.  
"Usopp," Vivi went over to Usopp and handed him the boxes. "For you and Kaya. Don't open it yet. Vivi handed a small box to each of us.   
"For you and Law, " She said when she got to me. The boxes were colorful and decorated for Christmas.   
"Okay, you can open them now, but Usopp and Luffy, just yours not Kaya's or Law's," Vivi said.  
I opened up the box with my name on it. Whatever it was, was also encased in styrofoam. I pulled it out and there was a round ornament inside, it was red and had my name painted on it in cursive.  
"Thanks, Vivi," I said with a smile. I put the ornament on the tree and everyone else started to do the same. Vivi smiled as we did.   
"Make sure you take those all home so you can hang them on your Christmas trees at home every year." Nami hugged Vivi and kissed her. That day we went Christmas shopping for last minute things, we did secret Santa, but we always bought things before we drew names, and we'd put those things in their stockings. We'd still get presents for everyone else too. We always did Christmas early at Vivi's so we could go home for Christmas too.   
"Okay, but candy is just boring, get something like, oh! An Echo." I picked up the box for Usopp.   
"Yeah, your right," Usopp relented and took the echo, with that me and him were done shopping. We left that store and headed to the food court where everyone was supposed to meet. Zoro and Sanji were there before us. We got some slushies and sat at a table having some fun. Vivi and Nami caught up and sat at a table next to us. They had bought a lot. Especially Nami.   
The others arrived slowly, but surely we all finished and drew names before we left.   
I got Vivi.   
We headed back to Vivi's house when we got there, Cobra and Igaram we rolling metal barrel into the house. Zoro jumped out of the car immediately.   
"Is that moonshine?" He asked with a grin.   
"Sure is," Cobra announced Igaram winced. "See Jimbei, this is the stuff I was talking about, better than vodka." I jumped out of the car and followed Zoro, Cobra, and Igaram inside. They set the barrel on the kitchen counter. Zoro opened it and started pouring a glass. Jimbei came in and a glass was shoved into his hand.   
"Go on, try it," Zoro insisted. Nami rushed inside to watch for Jimbei's reaction. Jimbei took the glass and slowly raised it to his lips. He took a small sip and nearly choked. Nami and Zoro started laughing.   
"I don't know about better but that's definitely stronger," Jimbei said.   
"Stronger is better," Zoro said, clapping Jimbei's shoulder.   
"It's not _that_ strong, even Luffy can chug down a cup and Luffy can't hold his liquor for shit," Nami said, taking Jimbei's cup and finishing it off.   
"Hey! That's not true," I argued.   
"Luf, you get tipsy after two shots," Usopp noted.   
"That's normal, you guys are just monsters," Vivi sighed.   
"Everyone else is just weak," nami retorted, sitting at the small kitchen table. Zoro nodded and sat down next to her, it was weird to see Nami and Zoro agree on something, even if it did have to do with alcohol.  
"Yeah, Yeah, we get it," Usopp interrupted, waving his hand and walking towards the table. "Look, we've got three days left here-"  
"Two and a half," Robin corrected.  
"Exactly," Usopp agreed before continuing, "so we've gotta make the best of them."  
Vivi and the others gathered around close. "Today is the twentieth, which means today is the day of the light show downtown."  
"Oh, I nearly forgot about that," Vivi said.  
"We've gotta prepare for it, there's not much time left before it gets dark, so we've got maybe two hours before the show, it'll last all night, that leaves our day practically over," Usopp said. I stopped listening after that. He mentioned something about food but overall he just babbled on and on. Everyone nodded and agreed when he was finished and Vivi headed upstairs, seemingly on a mission of some sort. Everyone moved into the living room, well almost everyone, Cobra and Igaram continued to carry the barrel into another room. I followed the others though. Vivi came back with a notebook.  
"First thing's first," Vivi said once she made it to the living room."We've gotta pick out some good Christmas songs."  
"Oh, that's easy, Panic!'s 'Feels like Christmas,'" Sanji said.  
"That it?"  
"Well, we don't want to take too much attention from the light show. Igaram does put a lot of work into making sure it goes well," Robin said. Vivi nodded.  
"We don't have much time to come up with a plan anyway Vivi said, writing in her notebook before setting it down and putting her hands on her hips.  
"What do you think, Robin?"  
"I think we should improvise," Robin decided with a small smile.  
"You sure that's a good idea?" Nami glanced at Jimbei and Franky. Dancing wasn't their strong suit but they were still pretty good.  
"Practise makes perfect, I think they can do it," Robin said.  
"Me too," I chimed in, I always preferred improvising rather than Robin's choreo. It's not that it was bad, it just wasn't as free.   
"Okay, now that just leaves when we'll start," Vivi said.  
"I say after they light the tree, that way we don't disrupt the light show but we still get a bunch of attention.  
"Oh!" Someone should record it and get it on YouTube," Usopp said.  
"That would be really good for us, who's gunna do it?" Nami asked, looking around.  
"I've got it covered," Franky said.  
"Awesome," Vivi smiled and added to her list. It didn't make sense why she was writing everything down, but hey, what works is what works.  
"We'll start like usual, I assume?" Zoro asked. Robin nodded.  
"What's usual?" Vivi asked.  
"We'll be split up in the crowd and brook will start playing, then everyone else will be joining in. Oh, will we throw Luffy's hat around?"  
"Hm, the crowd does seem to like that, I think we should. Luffy?" Robin said.  
"Shishishi, yup," I agreed.  
"That's that then, once Brook starts playing, Luffy will toss his hat to someone and they'll start dancing, Luffy should be the last one to join," Sanji explained.  
"Hey, didn't you guys do something like that before?"  
"Yeah, a few time, I don't think we've ever posted a video of that online though, there are probably videos either way," Nami said.  
"That sounds like a plan, We've got about two hours before the show," Vivi announced, closing her notebook and setting it down. In that hour we all went to our rooms for the most part. I'm sure some of us were going over moves to put into the performance we were about to put on. The hour passed quickly and soon enough we were at the heart of Alabasta, there was a parade with massive semi-truck covered in Christmas lights and the streets were lined with decorations, all bright and shiny for the light show. The lights were flashy and attention-grabbing and unique to the year. At the end of the parade and the show, they lit the tree with reds, blues, yellows, greens, and whites. It was beautiful. I wish Law had been there with me to see it. He would have liked it. He would have complained about the cold a little, and the people too, but he would have liked it.  
Once the lights on the tree were done being shown off, Brook walked up to the tree with his guitar case and made a show of pulling it from its case and set it up to play. He had been getting better and better at doing that before we started and it was always so cool to watch. People were clearly a little confused. At that point we had already all split up, I was with Usopp and Chopper, while the others were scattered about in the crowd, I couldn't see any of them. Uh-oh. I moved around, trying to find someone, I caught a glimpse of Zoro's green hair and tossed my straw hat in his direction.  
Sanji was the one who ended up catching it. The crowd near him stepped back, making some space. It was hard to see, but through the gaps between people I could see Sanji twirling my hat on his index finger, he tossed it up in the air and made a graceful move that was in beat to the music. Sanji caught the hat and tossed if further away from me. Sanji mode his way towards Brook and started an amazing solo performance. I saw the hat fly over the crowd again and Robin stepped in with Sanji. Sanji's solo performance smoothly morphed into a duet. They moved fast with the music and somehow made their dance feel like something slow. Nami was the next to join in, she made their dance tell a story with moves of her own, shortly after he was Zoro, who added to the story all the more. Since we only planned for one song, the hat moved fast over the crowd. After Zoro it was Vivi, then Usopp, Jimbei, Chopper brought my hat to me. At that point, the crowd had clearly caught on to what was going on. I dropped my jacket despite the cold and jumped into the dance with the others. They moved around me and it was something both chaotic that we created. That was perfect. The crowd was filled with smiling faces, little kids excitedly making their way to the front of the crowd. That was the best part about performing on the street, nothing could beat it.  
Brook finished off the song in what felt like mere moments after I had joined everyone, though from the heaviness of my breath I knew it had been much longer than that. The crowd erupted into clapping and a few "wooh"s too After the crowd had started to break apart, we all regrouped and made our way back to Vivi's house. I wasn't lucky enough to have found my jacket again though. I stumbled up the stairs and into my bed as soon as we got back to Vivi's. I was exhausted but the moment I laid down I couldn't make myself sleep no matter what. All my thoughts went to Law. I wish he was here. Even if he were just quietly reading while I laid next to him, running his free hand through my hair. I just needed to be close to him, to make him stay up later than he should to watch a movie, take him out to a place he hasn't been before.   
"What am I doing?" I mumbled to myself, searching the pillows and sheets for where ever the hell my phone went. I found it and called Law.   
He didn't answer. I crawled out of bed and found Law's black and yellow hoodie that I had taken a long time ago. It didn't smell like him at all anymore, but still, I pulled it on and crawled back into bed, burying my face into the hoodie with the blankets pulled close and tight around me. I wish he was here. It took hours for me to fall asleep that night.  
"Luf," Zoro woke me up, I knew I fell asleep late, how late I wasn't sure but it was definitely late. I sat up as soon as Zoro touched me. I pulled the hoodie close to my face again. I didn't really feel like doing much but going back to sleep.   
"You okay?" He asked.   
"Yup, I just miss Torao a lot right now," I said.   
"You get to see him in a few days, don't you?" Zoro asked in an attempt to make me feel better.   
"Maybe, he said he has to work for Christmas but he'd try to fly to Logue Town afterward and spend New Years with me and Sabo and Koala. I'm going to go see him after Christmas if he can't get out of Flevance..." I said.   
"Well there you go, that's something," Zoro said.   
"Now c'mon, we've got gifts to exchange, and Sanji made cocoa and breakfast." Zoro left. I got up and followed close behind. Everyone was already downstairs, talking and eating. Sanji made me a plate and a cup of cocoa, which I gladly enjoyed.   
We opened gifts and watched Christmas movies, drank eggnog and just relaxed. I tried to call Torao again. He still didn't answer so I texted him. The next couple days were going to be very, very long.


	54. Holidays

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> we had a snow day today (hasn't snowed all fucking winter in my town) But the very last leg of winter and we get like a foot and a half of snow in one day 'cause nature be like that and that's why you're getting this weeks chapter a day early!

**_♡Law♡_ **

"Okay, we managed to get lucky enough that Luffy's flight lands in about an hour and a half," Sabo explained as he unlocked his front door. I was relieved when we finally got into the house, I slipped my snow-covered shoes off along with Fai, Sabo, and Koala. The house was warm and cozy, the living room was small but free of clutter. The most interesting thing was their couch. It was split up into six square sections, only three of which had a back, the other three were more like footstools. The three with backs were set up next to each other with a walkway behind that lead down a hallway or into the kitchen, two of the stools were pushed against the wall with pillows piled up to make something comfortable to lean against, the third stool made the three sections sitting in front of the TV an L shape.   
"That's good," I said.   
"You can put your stuff in Luffy's room, this way," Sabo lead me down the hall while Fai stayed with Koala. Sabo pushed the door open and flipped the light on. The first thing I noticed was the polar bear plushie I had won Luffy on our first date sitting on the bed. Luffy's room wasn't what I expected to say the least. One wall was covered in posters of from movies, including almost every Marvel character from the movies of course, along with a few Pixar or Disney heroes. There was a small desk in the corner with several small boxes on it, above the desk was tons of pictures, a lot of them were with Zoro or Usopp or the other Strawhats, a few faces I recognized from the pictures Luffy had in his suitcase. There were boxes lined up against the wall by the door. One box, in particular, was opened and filled with envelopes. I set my suitcase by the foot of Luffy's bed, then I noticed the other wall, that too was occupied, with art that is. It wasn't a huge collection yet, but it was creeping along the side of the TV which sat on top of a dresser.   
"Wow," was the only thing I could manage to say.   
"Yeah, I forgot about all that, I would have warned you," Sabo said with a small smile. "I'm sure you know that Luffy's pretty sentimental."   
"That part I knew," I agreed, looking at the art on the wall. It was clearly fanart, and I assumed the box filled with mail was fan mail.   
"Hey, are you gunna cook it am I ordering pizza?" Koala asked in the doorway.   
"Well that depends, do you want pizza or something else?"  
"Some stuffed crust sounds amazing right now," Koala admitted.  
"Then pizza it is," Sabo said, "But we should wait for Luffy to get here first."  
"If you insist," Koala sighed and left the room. Sabo and I followed her, turning the light on my way out.   
"I think we have just enough time to watch a movie before Luffy gets here, what's a movie you guys have never seen?" Kola asked.   
"The Thor movies, I don't think either of seen those yet," Fai said.   
"I watched them with Luffy-ya a few months ago, I wouldn't mind watching them again," I said.   
"Hey! I tried to get you to watch them with me when they first started coming out, you dick!" Fai exclaimed.   
"Is that a yes or no?" Koala asked with a small laugh.   
"Yes," Fai said, crossing her arms over her chest.   
"I'll make popcorn," said Sabo, heading for the kitchen. Fai and I got settled on the couch while Koala set up the movie.   
We got halfway through it before it was time to get Luffy.   
"Are you gunna surprise him here or at the airport?" Sabo asked as he was slipping on his shoes. I had intended for it to be here but I don't think I can wait that long. The very thought of seeing him so soon left me unable to sit still.  
"Mm, the airport, I don't think I can stand waiting here," I said standing up and getting ready to go myself.   
"How long _has_ it been since you've seen Luffy?" Sabo asked as we headed out the door.   
"Two months," I said, closing it behind me. "Just about two months."   
"Wow, I don't think I've been away from Koala that long since the day I met her," Sabo said. We got into the car and buckled.   
"It's the longest we've been apart so far," I said. Sabo pulled out of the driveway and into the road.   
"That's not surprising," Sabo paused for a moment while he turned a corner onto a busy road. "When Luffy first left with Zoro he called me almost every day for a year."  
"That definitely sounds like him," I agreed with a small smile. There were a few moments of silence between us.   
"Sabo-ya, how did you meet Luffy?" I asked, recalling him saying he and Luffy weren't born brothers. Sabo chuckled and shook his head.   
"Luffy's grandpa didn't have the time to take care of Luffy, so, he dumped him off on a bandit called Dadan, in a town not too far from here," Sabo said. "Ace and I had already been living there a while, the day that old man brought Luffy up, Ace ran into him and that's when Luffy and he got their mark. Ace spit on Luffy and came to find me, Luffy followed him." That's one way to meet your first love.  
"How old were you?" It makes sense that Luffy and Ace got their mark when they first met, but still, they were just kids.   
"Ace and I were ten, Luffy was seven or eight."   
"His first mark at seven?" I muttered, how could kids that young possibly have marks?  
"We had no idea what it was at the time. Luffy knew a bartender in the nearby town, we asked her and she wouldn't tell us until we were older."   
"What happened when you knew what it was?"   
Sabo shrugged and turned again. "Nothing, Ace figured it out way before Luffy and me, fuck, those two dipshits weren't together until a month or two before Luffy's 17th birthday."  
"Wow," I muttered, Luffy's life seemed so much more complicated than I first thought.   
"Law, you have had the strangest reaction to Luffy's other marks," Sabo stated. His voice was filled with some sort of mixture of amusement and bafflement.   
"What do you mean? How am I supposed to react?"   
Sabo laughed before saying, "Well, for one, you haven't acted jealous at all, and you want to know about the people behind them, not just Luffy's current feelings towards them."  
"Jealousy is stupid even if the person you're jealous of isn't dead. All it does is cause problems," I said honestly.   
"Well spoken," Sabo grinned. "But it is something we feel regardless, you've really never been jealous over Luffy?"  
"I didn't say I haven't," I replied.  
"What could have possibly caused that?" Sabo glanced at me, his question was from pure curiosity. I contemplated the details I wanted to tell him.  
"We went out to this strange bar with Luffy-ya's friends, and Luffy kept staring at the waiter," I explained. "The first time I didn't really care, but when he came back, Luffy-ya just kept staring at him. And Luffy was acting strange too," I shook my head at the memory. " Sabo wore an expression of concern now. "Turns out, the waiter looked just like Ace-ya, when Luffy told me that, I couldn't be jealous even if I tried." Sabo's grip on the steering wheel tightened.   
"There's was a waiter that looked like Ace?" Sabo took another turn, the airport was just down the road.   
"Yeah, I didn't realize it at first..." I recalled Luffy's red mark. I hated that the most. Sabo pulled into the parking lot, and we got out of the car. The air outside was bitter cold, with a thin layer of snow, covered in a sheet of ice that blanketed the ground. The parking lot itself was cleared of snow and ice yet the ground was wet all the same. Sabo and I headed inside the airport, greeted by a rush of warm air. The place was noisy with holiday traffic. Entire families boarding and getting off planes, the gift shop was overcrowded and definitely the waiting area too.   
"What did you tell Luffy when he asked you what you were doing for Christmas?" Sabo asked as he looked up at the flight board, searching for the exact time Luffy's flight would be landing.   
"I told him I had to work on Christmas but I'd try to come here afterward to see him," I said.   
"How cruel," Sabo commented. I shrugged.   
"Luffy's plane landed fifteen minutes ago," Sabo muttered.   
"Oi, Sabo!" Luffy's voice came from the other side of a family. I forgot how different Luffy sounded over the phone. Luffy shuffled his way through the group over to us, he hadn't seen me yet. Luffy ran towards Sabo, he abandoned his suitcase just a few feet away from Sabo and hugged him.   
"You didn't bring Ko-" Luffy had started looking around when he saw me. He stood still and watched me for just a moment, his gorgeous brown eyes locked onto mine.   
"Torao!" Luffy marched towards me, grabbed onto wither side of my jacket and pulled me into a kiss, rough and brief. At that moment I could feel every particle of Luffy's slightly chapped lips, he left me wanting more. "You liar." He kissed me again, I pulled away from him, there were far too many people here for me to carelessly kiss him, I wanted to though.   
"I missed you too," I said, wrapping my arms around him and pulling him close to me. Luffy returned my hug.   
"Is Fai here too?"  
"At Sabo's and Koala's house."   
"Let's go!" Luffy insisted, leading the way out of the airport, taking my hand and pulling me behind him, I was glad to follow his lead. Sabo followed close behind. On the way back Luffy talked about many of the things he had told me on the phone and then some. When we got back Luffy greeted Fai and Koala with hugs just as he had for Sabo.   
"I ordered the pizza after you guys left so it should be here any minute, we did finish watching Thor though," Koala said.   
"Is it-  
"Yep, pizza from Helmepo's," Koala said before Luffy finished the question.  
"Shishishi, I missed that pizza!" Luffy said.  
"I figured, that's why I ordered it," Koala said, Sabo sat down next to Koala, putting his arm around her shoulders.   
"I'm gunna go put my stuff away," Luffy announced, pulling his suitcase towards his room, he motioned me to follow him. I followed Luffy to his bedroom without hesitation.   
"Can I have a real kiss now?" Luffy asked, closing the door.   
"Absolutely," I said softly and taking a step closer to him. I pulled on the jacket he wore to bring him closer to me. I pressed my lips to his and already felt breathless. He stood on his toes and his arms around my neck. My heart rattled in my chest, I needed more. I bit at his lower lip and slid my tongue into his mouth. My hands found their way to Luffy hips, then under his clothing and up his back. A soon as I touched his skin, his soft, warm skin. Luffy gasped and broke our kiss.   
"You're cold," Luffy said in one breath.   
"And you, are incredibly warm," I replied, softly kissing him again. Luffy brushed his fingers through my hair and hummed against my lips.  
"How long does it take to put a suitcase down?" I heard Fai yell before the door swung open. I pulled away just as Fai barged in. _Go the fuck away._  
Fai sighed as soon as she saw us, "Figures," she said. "We want to put on another movie whenever you two are done." Fai closed the door part way and went back into the living room. I took my chance to kiss him one more time.   
"I really missed you," I whispered.   
"I missed you way more," Luffy promised.  
"Tch, I didn't know it was a competition," I said, taking Luffy's hand in mine and intertwining our fingers and kissing the back of Luffy's hand before going back into the living room.   
"Luffy, pick a movie," Koala sighed in exasperation, Fai and Sabo were arguing over the movie.   
"That's easy, the Nightmare Before Christmas," Luffy said, plopping onto the couch next to Sabo.   
"That's a Halloween movie," Fai insisted.  
"A Christmas movie," Sabo countered.  
"I'd say it's both," I interjected while Koala got up and set up the movie to play.  
"Thank you, Law," Koala said, closing the DVD player. I took a seat next to Luffy, despite there being more space on the other side of Koala, and another couch to sit on, Fai sat on the ground, leaning against the couch.  
"Oh, babe I left the snacks on the kitchen counter," Sabo said before Koala sat back down.  
"Lazy bum," Koala muttered, heading into the kitchen only to return with a grocery bag full of snacks. Sabo opened a bag of chips and Koala pressed play. Less than five minutes into the movie the doorbell rang.   
"Oh, pizza, I got it," Luffy jumped up from the couch, climbed over the back of it and answered the door. Sabo sighed and got up too, grabbing his wallet from the coffee table and following Luffy to the door. Luffy returned, carrying two pizza boxes and a paper bag of breadsticks.   
"Law, feel free to help yourself to whatever you want in the kitchen if you're hungry," Koala said. Luffy opened up the boxes until he found what he wanted. He grabbed a slice of pizza and leaned against me.   
"Thank you," I said politely. We all settled again before playing the movie again. Once we finished that movie we watched Rudolph before Sabo and Koala went to bed. I wasn't the slightest bit tired, but I knew I'd be feeling the jet lag in the morning, that and Luffy practically dragged me back to his room after saying goodnight to Fai.  
"Please, for the sake of us all, don't be too loud," Fai called as Luffy was closing the door. Fai, what the fuck?   
"I've wanted to show you these forever," Luffy said. He opened up the small boxes on his desk. I sat on the edge of Luffy's bed while he flipped through what looked like pictures. Luffy picked a few out and passed them to me. They were all pictures of my friends, Sachi, Jean Bart, Penguin, Bepo, Fai, and me. Some of them were possed, others were candid.   
"That's an interesting collection, I didn't notice you taking half these pictures," I said, Luffy sat next to me and rested his chin on my shoulder.   
"Sachi sent me ones like this," Luffy pulled on the corner of one picture. It was the picture Sachi had taken of me staring at Luffy as he spoke on my birthday. "I got this one too, from Sachi for you." Luffy pulled another picture and, it was of him in the passenger seat of Sachi's car. He was smiling and looking at the camera no he was looking at Sachi, not even paying attention to the camera.   
"You think I like you enough to want a picture of you?" I asked with a small smirk.   
"Yep, because you love me," Luffy grinned and kissed my cheek.   
"I guess you're right," I said, finally looking away from the pictures to kiss Luffy. It was incredibly sweet and had far more meaningful than either kiss we had shared at the airport. Unfortunately, it was also incredibly short.   
"I really missed you," Luffy whispered once we parted. I smiled at that.  
"So you've said," I replied, kissing Luffy once more. I shifted to face him, Luffy took the pictures and set them down, presumably somewhere safe from us. Luffy swung his leg over me and straddled my lap. He hooked his arms around my neck and ran his fingers through my hair. I gripped his thighs. It had been so damned long. So long since I touched him, kissed him. Since he's laid on me while I read or since he ran his hands through my hair. I pulled Luffy closer by his hips and ended our kiss to take in the stunning beauty of Luffy's slightly pink cheeks and faintly labored breaths. His deep and stunning earthy brown eyes and kissable lips. Luffy ran one of his hand over my shoulder and pressed his palm to my chest, tracing over the tattoos he couldn't see. He brought his to my face and ran over my bottom lip with his thumb.   
"You have a tiny scar on your lip where I bit you," Luffy muttered.   
"Well, who's fault is that?" I asked, kissing his cheek, then the other. Kissing his forehead and the tip of his nose and chin, before returning to his lips. Luffy's hands wandered down my chest and to the bottom of my shirt. He slipped his hands underneath the fabric and took his time pushing it up and pulling it off of me. Luffy pulled away from my lips and kissed along my jaw. My hands wandered from his hips and found themselves on his ass. I gave it a squeeze and earned a small gasp from Luffy. Luffy found his way to my ear, he licked my piercings and bit on my earlobe. The feeling went straight to my dick. Luffy did it again.  
"Ahh," I moaned quietly, not my proudest moment. "Fuck, Lu." I slipped my hands between Luffy's jeans and underwear, caressing his perfect ass once more. Luffy gasped again. I smirked and caught Luffys lips in mine before he could do anything else. Luffy's hands found my pants and he started to unbutton them.   
"You sure about that?" I asked him. I wasn't exactly comfortable going that far when there were other people in the house, but damned it all if I didn't get over that I'd hardly be able to touch Luffy the entire time I got to see him.   
"Uh-huh, are you?" Luffy asked. "I know you don't like doing it when other people are close by, but Torao I miss you and-and fuck, I _need_ you."  
"Think you can be quiet this time?" I whispered. Luffy nodded. I pulled his shirt off and kissed him.   
"Good, because I don't think I can keep my hands off you."   
"Shishishi, then don't," Luffy smiled and kissed me, I ran my hands up his bare spine. Luffy moaned, and quickly bit his lip, remembering that he was supposed to be quiet. Luffy rolled his hips, grinding in my lap. Damn, his dancing ass is good at it. I pulled him even closer, so his body was pressed to mine, Luffy pressed his lips to my neck and kissed his way up to my ear again, He bit at my earlobe, running his tongue over my earings. Why did that feel so good? Luffy kissed the space below my ear, that was even better. I moaned in Luffy's ear. I brought my hand u his back and into his hair, pulling his head back by his hair.   
"Ah, hmm," Luffy hummed when I pulled his hair. I attempted in vain to keep myself from laughing. Luffy blushed, bright red.   
"You have a kink for hair pulling, I see." Luffy pushed me onto the mattress   
"You're a dick," Luffy muttered, still red-faced and all too cute.   
"Mhm." I pulled on Luffy's hair again, pulling his head back.   
"Torao!" Luffy gasped a little too loud. I pressed my lips to his neck and bit his skin. Luffy moaned and started grinding again, the friction Luffy's erection created was maddening, and fuck, I loved every second of it. I found Luffy's zipper and undid it, pushing just his waistband down around his thighs. I pulled away from him, satisfied to see a purpling mark on his neck.   
"It's kind of hard to undress you when you're sitting like this," I informed.  
"Wha-oh." Luffy stood and allowed me to sit up. I finished pulling his pants off, and his underwear along with them. Luffy stepped out of the clothing and kissed me, he moaned into our kiss. Luffy pulled away to my disappointment and kissed down my neck, to my color bone, down my chest, teasing one of my nipples, he got onto his knees and kissed down my stomach and past my waistband. Luffy palmed my crotch, making my boner throb. Luffy kissed the fabric and slowly freed my erection. Luffy removed what was left of my clothing just as slowly as he had unzipped them. Luffy ran his hands up my thigh, he stroked my dick.  
"Damn," I groaned, Luffy dragged his tongue up my dick before taking it into his mouth. The wet warmth of his mouth sent me into a blissful haze. I ran my hand through his messy black hair as he bobbed his head, clutching his hair into my fist and pulling on it. Luffy moaned and the vibrations from his mouth reached my very core.   
"Fuck, Luffy," I moaned. Luffy pulled my dick from his mouth and ran his tongue along the length. Luffy repeated the motion and brought his gaze to meet my eyes.   
"C'mere," I ordered, Luffy climbed into my lap and hooked his arms around my neck.  
"Lube?" I asked. Luffy looked over to the bedside table.  
"Uh, no..." Luffy muttered. I sighed.  
"Alright then, open," Luffy took my fingers in his mouth. He twirled his tongue around them and rocked hips, holding onto my wrist and watching me with a gaze filled with pure lust. I pulled my fingers from his mouth.  
"Ready?" Luffy nodded and wrapped his arms around me and buried his face into the crook of my neck. I pushed one finger into his ass, then a second.  
"Ah, Traffy," Luffy gasped and moaned when I started stretching him out. Luffy's nails dug into my back when I added a third and Luffy bit my shoulder and moaned into my skin. Guess that was better than the whole house hearing him. I pulled my finger from him and positioned my dick to push into Luffy's ass. Luffy was more eager than I anticipated and lowered himself onto me. I moaned while Luffy dug his nails deeper into my flesh, that was going to sting later. Luffy whimpered with heavy breathing. I dragged my fingers down his spine, Luffy relaxed in my arms immediately, he hummed in my ear the second time I did it. Luffy shifted and started riding my dick.   
"Ahhmm," Luffy moaned very loudly. "I-I can't." Luffy started turning red again. I hugged Luffy close to me and turned us over, laying him on the bed. Luffy wrapped his legs around my hips.   
"Better?" I asked Luffy nodded. I started slow, thrusting into him, Luffy started moaning immediately. He buried his face into my shoulder to muffle the noises he made and dragged his nails down my back.   
"Faster, go faster I can't take this," Luffy said in impatient moans. I picked up my pace making Luffy moan even more, which also left more marks left on me by Luffy. Luffy nearly screamed in my ear, as soon as the noise left him he bit into my shoulder. That hurt like a bitch.   
I thrust just as hard, just the same way and got the same reaction.   
"Torao!" Luffy gasped, I silenced him by kissing him and pushing my tongue into his mouth. Luffy continuously moaned with each thrust, he dug his nails into my back, a horrid mixture of pain and pleasure that sent goosebumps crawling over my skin and left me wanting even more of him. Our lips parted and I kissed down his neck, I wanted so badly, to hear him moaning my name, Luffy was just too damned loud. Luffy moaned in my ear and covered his mouth with his hand, muffling any and all noise that left his mouth. I pinned free his wrist to the mattress and kissed him, I interlocked our fingers. A wave of pure pleasure washed over me, something I had never felt before, not with Luffy or anyone else for that matter. Another wave in time with my thrusts, but the feeling wasn't just in my dick it consumed every surface of my body. It was unexpected enough to make me moan. I brought one hand down Luffy's side, dragging my fingers over his skin and arousing goosebumps in their wake. I brought my hand to his nearly forgotten erection, Luffy gasped the moment I touched him and moaned through his hand, it was a sound that was pure music to my ears. Luffy squeezed my hand in his and moaned even more as I stroked his dick. Luffy moved his hand from his mouth and cupped my neck, bringing me closer to him, he kissed me, biting on my bottom lip as soon as it met his. Luffy ended our kiss when his head dropped to the mattress with one long moan as he came over my hand. The intense pleasure stopped when I let go of Luffy's hand and covered his mouth when he moaned my name. Luffy stopped giving all shits and relentlessly moaned into my hand. Luffy's hands traveled down my back and he dug his nails into my skin again, leaving scratches all the way down my back.   
"Fuck," I groaned, coming inside Luffy. I gently pressed my lips to his and started to pull out. Luffy flexed his thighs, keeping me in my place, he kissed me and let me go. I pulled out and kissed him again. Luffy dragged his hand down my chest, tracing the lines of my tattoos.   
"I scratched you again," Luffy sounded guilty and stared down at my chest.  
"I've already told you it's fine," I said, kissing him yet again. "C'mon, I'm sure you're sleepy by now," I said. I pulled away from him and got into a more comfortable position for sleep. Luffy sat up and crawled over to me, we cuddled up under the blankets, Luffy using my chest as a pillow. I wrapped my arms around him and kissed the top of his head.  
"I love you, so much," I uttered. Luffy looked up at me with a smile.  
"I love you," he said sweetly with a very lazy kiss. Luffy nuzzled into my neck.   
"Holy shit," Luffy said, he didn't sound very sleepy anymore, alarmed was a better description.  
"Hm?" I hummed.   
" _Torao,"_ Luffy said in such a horror-struck tone. He sat up with blood on the side of his cheek. "You're bleeding, why didn't you say anything?" Luffy jumped out of bed and pulled his pants on.   
"What?" I sat up and looked at my shoulder where Luffy had been bitting me. "Where are you going?" Luffy headed for the door. I got out of bed, pulled on my jeans and followed him to the kitchen. Fai was there, getting a glass of water and nearly choked when she saw me. Luffy opened the cabinet under the sink and pulled out a cardboard box full of miscellaneous medical supplies, including several braces and about fifty different types of band-aids.   
"Why didn't you say anything?" Luffy was furious, he angrily dug through the box and found a bandaid that would fit over the bite mark.   
"Answer me!" He bit.   
"I didn't fucking notice, relax," I retorted.   
"How do you _not_ notice?" Luffy asked in disbelief. _I was busy having great fucking sex with you, dumbass._  
"I was kind of busy," I said. Luffy continued to dig through the box until he found a container of peroxide. He clicked his tongue and kept looking through the box. He pulled out an unopen package of gauze. Luffy took the supplies and carried them to the dining table. Luffy pulled a chair out.   
"Sit," Luffy ordered. I was somewhat amused at his annoyance with me. Which was wrong because he was actually angry with me. I sat down in the chair in front of him. Fai started laughing.   
"Good job with his back Luffy," Fai said.   
Luffy glared at her. Luffy opened the gauze and poured peroxide onto it. He pressed it to the bite mark. I winced at the stinging but didn't say anything. Luffy went to put Neosporin on the tips of his fingers.   
"Fuck, Lu, wash your hands first," I said before he did so. Luffy did as I told him to and speared Neosporin over the wound. Then he opened a band-aid and pressed it onto my skin.  
"Can we go back to bed now?" I asked.   
"No, let me see your back," Luffy demanded.   
"Babe, I'm fine," I said.   
"Then you'll let me see."   
"Since when were you the doctor here?"  
"Turn around." Luffy gave me a stern look. I sighed and twisted around in the chair, with my legs on either side of the chair's back.   
"Torao!" Luffy grumbled. "I'd hit you if you weren't already hurt," Luffy hissed. "You said it was fine. Did I do that before too?"  
"I don't know, I can't see my back. And it _is_ fine," I retorted.   
"You're bleeding," Luffy argued.   
"It doesn't hurt," I winced at the sting of the peroxide.   
"You're sure?" Luffy asked. I twisted around in the chair again. Luffy was biting his lip.   
"Yes," I said, I took the gauze from his hands and set it on the table. "Now can we please go back to bed." I pulled on the belt loops of his jeans.  
"Okay..." Luffy said. I pulled him a little closer Fai took that as her cue to leave. I was grateful for that. I kissed him softly and couldn't keep myself from smiling. I kissed Luffy again and he ran his hands through my hair.   
"Bed?" I asked for the third time. Luffy nodded.   
"You're sure you're okay?" Luffy asked   
"For the millionth time, yes," I said.   
I stood and grabbed his hand and led him back to the goddamn bedroom. I changed into pajamas pants before getting into bed with Luffy, we cuddled up just as we had before Luffy noticed he had bitten me and drawn blood. It only took a few minutes for Luffy to fall asleep I spent an hour or so on my phone before I finally fell asleep with Luffy in my arms.


	55. Love

**_♤_ ** **_Luffy♡_ **

The ringing of Law's phone was just plain fucking annoying. Law was already moving to answer it, which was worse than the stupid phone ringing.   
"What?" Law finally answered, his voice was rough and husky and hot as hell.  
"Just hang up," I grumbled, but Law didn't pay any attention to that.   
"Shit," Law muttered. What could possibly going on now?  
"Yeah, email it to me, I'll do it right now," Law said, already getting up to move.   
"No," I muttered.   
"Babe, let me up," Law hummed, brushing his hands through my hair.   
"Very funny, keep it up and I'll put you on bedpan duty when I get back, I'm sure the nurses will be relieved," Law said to whoever he was talking to.  
"Luffy-ya, I know you're awake, move your ass," Law poked my side.   
"Fine," I muttered and rolled over onto my stomach and hugged the pillow instead. I felt Law leave the bed for a minute or two.  
"Don't worry about it, I'd much rather have you call me over this," Law said, clearly still on the phone. Law returned to the bed, though he was sitting at the edge and getting on his laptop I think.   
"Did you send it?" Law asked he scooted back and leaned against the headboard. I felt Law touch my back, his finger traced nonexistent circles on my skin. I propped my head up, on the palm of my hand and looked over at Law. He was on his computer, focused on the screen and not paying any attention to the circles he drew with his fingertips on my back. Law glanced at me.   
"Go back to sleep, Love," Law muttered. The light from the screen revealed the light blush that crossed his face.   
"Shishishi, I like that," I muttered.   
"Sachi-ya shut the fuck up," Law grumbled. Law started typing, I hugged the pillow close and buried my face into it.   
"What time was it?" Law asked several questions along those lines for a few minutes. Law shifted to the edge of the bed again. I sat up and wrapped my arms around him. Law kept looking over the email on the screen. Law asked yet another question about doctor stuff I didn't completely understand or care about. I kissed Law's shoulder. Then closer to his neck, his neck, then his jaw.   
"Is that all?" Law asked with a big yawn. I kissed just under his earlobe. Law gasped and Law reached into my hair and balled it into his fist. I hummed into his skin "Okay, have Kureha sign it since I can't." Law barely got the sentence out evenly. I licked the brim of his ear. Law shuttered.   
"Why?" Law sounded a little suspicious. I nibbled his earlobe and Law audibly gasped. An idea came across my mind, I contemplated it for a moment or two while Law talked to Sachi.   
I bit Law's ear again.   
"When you're done," I whispered and kissed beneath his ear. I ran one hand over his thigh. "Bend me over and fuck me." Law stiffened in my arms. He tried his best to ignore me.   
"I sent it back," Law said. I ran my hand up Law's inner thigh. Law grabbed my wrist and stopped me just before I reached his crotch. Too bad, that would have been fun.   
"Okay..." Law pulled the phone from his ear and set it on speaker.   
"Hey, Luf," Sachi said.   
"Yeah?"   
"Don't be too hard on Law, if ya know what I mean. He is in love with you," Sachi said. I grinned and kissed Law's cheek.   
"Shishishi, I'll try."  
"And take good care of him, he needs it." Law opened his mouth to protest.   
"That, I can do," I assured.   
"Sorry for waking you guys up, see ya," Sachi said.   
"See ya," I said and the phone went silent. Law set it on the nightstand and got up to put his laptop away. Law stood next to the bed.  
"Luffy-ya, c'mere," Law said sternly I stood in front of Law and wrapped my arms around his neck. Law leaned in to kiss me. When our lips were mere centimeters apart Law turned me around at my hips, wrapped on arm around my waist and pushed between my shoulder blades into the mattress. He leaned forward, his chest pressed against my back.   
He pulled my head back by my hair.   
"Is this what you wanted?" He asked in a gruff voice. That was hot. At this rate, I was going to have a boner before Law even touched me.   
"Mm, uh-huh," I muttered. Law kissed my neck and dragged his fingers down my spine.   
"Good," he whispered in my ear. 

When morning came I woke up to an empty bed. Where was Torao? I sat up and looked around. He wasn't in here. I was sore from last night. Still, I picked up some of the closest clothes to me, the shirt Law was wearing last night and underwear. Koala and Fai were sitting on the couch, going through Christmas ornaments I could smell Sabo's cooking too.   
"Where's Traffy?" I asked.   
"Shower," Fai answered.   
"Oh," I hummed. "We're putting up the tree?"  
"Duh," Koala replied. I went back down the hall and to the bathroom, I could hear the water running. The bathroom was warm and steamy, Torao had clothes sitting on the counter by the sink.   
"You left me in an empty bed," I huffed.   
"Well, would you like to join me now?" Law asked with a small chuckle. I pulled my shirt off.  
"That's why I came in here," I stepped out of my underwear and got into the shower with him. Law finished rinsing the shampoo from his hair and stepped closer to me. We kissed and Law ran his hands through my hair. He pulled under the hot water and kissed me again.   
"Morning, Love," Law said quietly, kissing me again. I really do like him saying that to me. 'Love,' it's so simple, and perfect.   
"Morning," I smiled.  
"Your turn, want me to do it?"   
"Please." Torao washed my hair, leaving me with one of the best feelings in the world. After we were all clean, Torao and I got out and dressed and went out to the living room. Fai and Koala had managed to untangle the tinsel and lights while we showered.   
"Is breakfast done?" I asked.   
"Go ask Sabo," Koala said.  
"Hey, Law, come look at this," Fai waved him over. I went into the kitchen and found Sabo still making breakfast. He was making omelets.   
"Is it almost ready?" I asked.  
"Maybe another 10 minutes, give or take," Sabo answered.  
"That's so long," I muttered.  
"You're just impatient." Sabo flipped an omelet onto itself. My stomach growled.   
"Sabo," I grumbled.   
"If you're going to be obnoxious then go help Koala get the tree out," Sabo said.   
"Guess that's better than watching you cook," I muttered. I went back into the living room and Fai and Koala were showing Law the battery ornament of a ballerina that spun on the tree and played music. The coffee table had been pushed out of the way and the three of them were sitting on the floor surrounded by Christmas. I sat down between Law and Koala. Koala had set aside the special ornaments with our names on it. It reminded me of something I had nearly forgotten about.   
"OH!" I shouted suddenly, Koala jumped a little from my outburst. "Torao, I got something for you." I stood up and went back to my room. I pulled my suitcase open and dug through it, throwing its contents astray as I searched for the two small boxes. The ornaments Vivi had given me and the rest. I ran back out to the living room where Law, Fai, and Koala were.   
"Here," I plopped down next to Torao and gave him the box. He looked at me curiously. "Vivi got everyone one, she sent one home with Usopp for Kaya too." Law nodded and started to open the box. Inside was a green ornament with "Law" and the current year painted on one side and mistletoe on the other.   
"It's nice," Law said quietly.   
"Mine has the same thing painted on it," I pulled it out of the box. Mine was red with my name and the year painted on it, and the mistletoe too.   
"Who exactly is Vivi?" Law asked.  
"You met here went you came to see me on Halloween," I said.   
"Oh, right," Law said.   
"Shishishi."  
"Luffy, will you get the tree from the garage?" Koala asked.  
"Alone? To-"  
"I'll go with you," Fai offered.   
"Alright!" Fai and I went past the kitchen, towards the back door, and into the garage. It was freezing! I heard Fai's teeth chatter as we walked through it, the cement made my bare feet numb. The garage was only a one car garage, and neither Koala or Sabo ever really parked their cars in it, so mostly it was used for storage space. There were all kinds of boxes in the garage, but only one big enough to fit a fake tree in it.   
"There it is!" I announced. I moved some of the boxes that were on top of it and dragged the old beat up box into the walkway.   
"Need some help with that?" Fai asked.   
"Mm, not really," I said.   
"Alright, if you say so," she conceded. I picked the box up and headed back into the house. Fai held the door open for me.   
"Breakfast is ready!" Sabo called.   
"Yes!" I cheered, taking the box to the living room and leaving it there. I ran to the dining table and grabbed a plate, piling it up with food. The others came too, finding a seat at the table and digging in.   
"Let's get that tree set up," Sabo said once we had finished eating. The five of us pulled the tree out of the box and put the thing together. After an hour or so of arguing with tinsel and breaking three ornaments, the tree was set up in the corner of the living room with lights and all.   
"Okay Law, Fai," Sabo said with a grin. "It is a tradition that we have a Mario Kart marathon after setting up the tree," Sabo said.   
"That is a tradition everyone should have," Fai said.   
"Now last year, Koala kicked our asses," Sabo explained.   
"And rightfully so," Koala said, walking into the living room were the Mario Kart crown Sabo and I made our first Chrismas by ourselves.   
"What the hell is that?" Law asked with mild concern in his voice, gesturing to Koala's crown.   
"It's the Mario Kart crown, obviously, Law," Fai said.   
"Yep," I confirmed, I got up and turned the TV and Wii on.   
"I think it's only fair that the Queen goes first," smiling at Koala. Koal sat on the couch and Sabo passed her the controller.   
"C'mon Law, you're playing first," Koala insisted.

"Okay, but I've never played," Law admitted, taking the controller that Sabo offered.   
" _What?_ " I asked. That can't be possible. It's simply not  
"You've got to be joking?" Fai asked. "You're messing with us." Law shook his head as the game started loading.   
"Not even when me and Buffalo used to play?"   
"I was too busy dealing with Doflamingo's shit then," Law muttered.   
"Luffy what the hell?" Sabo asked.  
"What did I do?" I asked.   
"You've been dating this guy for months and you haven't played Mario Kart?" Sabo asked.   
"Relax guys, it's not the end of the world, I'll just go easy on Law the first race," Koala said. "Look, right now just choose your character." Torao picked Yoshi and the screen switched.   
"Now your car," Koala said as she picked her own. Torao took his time picking out a car that had decent stats. I leaned on his shoulder.   
"Do wanna pick the track?" Koala asked.  
"You can," Law said. Koala picked Sweet, Sweet Canyon. The race started and Torao stiffened just a little bit and became uncomfortable to lean on, I sat up and looked at the T.V screen. Torao figured out the starting boost, maybe he was just watching Koala play. Torao fell into the lower places really quickly.   
By the end of the second lap, he was in second place, and he passed Koala too.   
"You sure you've never played?" Koala asked.   
"Mhm," Law hummed. Torao bit his lip and his brows furrowed as Koala got closer to him. His eyes, slightly squinted, were glued to the screen.   
"Mugiwara, stop staring at me it's distracting," Law muttered. I blushed and looked away from him. Torao finished in first place.   
"Not bad Law, but be careful, it might just be beginners luck," Koala said and passed Law her controller. "Pick someone to play." Law passed it to me.   
"Ready to get your ass kicked?" Law asked.   
"Don't be so cocky," I retorted, taking the controller.   
"Your pick," Law said. I picked Rainbow Road, no way Law could make that course.   
"Luffy that was low," Koala scolded,   
"Torao should play the hardest track at least once," I insisted.   
"Doesn't matter to me," Law said. The race started and Torao fell way behind while I got into first place right way. Torao still managed to beat me. Law played Sabo next and beat him, then Fai too. After that Koala played me, Sabo, and Fai, and beat us again too. Then I played Sabo and Fai and managed to beat them both. Sabo and Fai played, whoever lost that race wouldn't be playing again. Fai lost. We all played another round and I was out. Another round and Sabo was out, leaving just Koala and Law.   
Law won.  
"Are you really sure you've never played?" Sabo asked.

"I am," Law said. I took Koala's crown and brought it to Law. "Do not put that thing on my head."  
"Sorry, no getting out of this one, Law," Sabo said. "You're the Mario Kart King of the house now."   
"Shishishi, yep!" I placed the crown on top of Law's head.   
"How long do I have to wear this?" He asked.   
"The whole day," Koala said.  
"We're not going anywhere, right?"   
"Nah, we're just gunna play games all day." We played Trouble, Truth Bombs, Obama Llama, Mario Kart again, Jenga, and a few other games. Then Koala and Fai went to the store and got some Redbox movies and snacks.   
We watched Christmas movies and ate junk food. When we watched the last movie Koala and Fai got, it was past midnight and we were all ready to go to sleep.   
Sabo collected all our wrappers and took them to the garbage.   
"Garbage is full, not it!" Sabo called.  
"Not it," Koala muttered. Damn it.   
"Luffy," Sabo called from the kitchen. I got up to take the trash out. Lucky for me, the garbage was only in the garage right outside the door. Law was up and heading to my room when I came back, Sabo and Koala already went to their room. I went to my room, Law was changing when I walked in, and no longer in possession of the Mario Kart crown. The tattoo on his back was adorned with scratch marks that I had left on him. I pulled my own shirt off and jumped onto the bed. Law was just about finished when I wrapped my arms around his shoulders and kissed his cheek.   
"Well, hello, to you too," he said with a smile that was far too rare for my liking. Law turned to face me he pulled me closer to him and kissed me. I was a lot easier to kiss Torao when I was standing on the bed.  
"I've hardly kissed you all day," I realized.  
"Mhm," Law hummed, kissing me again. I relaxed into his arms and ran my hands through his hair. Torao and I p  
ulled apart.   
"Love you," I said. "Love you too, can we go to bed now? I'm tired." Torao let go of me and slipped under the covers. I got into bed with him. 

_I did not want to go to school. There was no damned point in it. I was starting a new stupid school just a month before graduating. I already knew what I wanted to do with my life and school was not going to help. The scar on my wrist hadn't stopped hurting, it had only been a week since Ace..._   
_Whatever, it was in the past._   
_"There ya go," Sabo smiled as he stopped the car, the car he had borrowed from his friend Koala. I didn't know the girl much, I knew they wouldn't be just friends for very long though. That's right, they shared a mark. Too bad it took us running away from home and Ace dying for him to get it._   
_"I'll pick you up afterward, kay?" Sabo was trying to make things 'normal' he was smiley and kept himself in a positive mood all the time. I knew he wasn't though. I wish he wouldn't fake it, he doesn't have to smile all the time, I sure as hell can't._   
_"Okay," I muttered._   
_"Try and make some friends, and if worse comes to worst, you've only got four weeks," Sabo said. Guess that was right._   
_"Yeah, whatever," Sabo sighed. I grabbed my bad and went into the building. The school was definitely nicer than the one in Mt. Colubo. I sighed and pulled out my class schedule from my pocket. The only use is provided was the room number. Guess if I asked someone they'd know. I looked around the hallway, lockers lined the walls, Sabo dropped me off early so there weren't very many people here. A boy with bright pink hair was at a locker talking with another guy. I headed over to them._   
_"Hey, could you tell me where the first class is?" I asked._   
_"Oh, sure," the pink haired boy said with a smile. I offered my schedule, he took it._   
_"What are you, new?" The blond guy asked, his voice carried a tone of rudeness._   
_"Yep," I said._   
_"Oh, this one is upstairs, I can show you the way," the pink haired kid offered._   
_"Sure," I said._   
_"I'm Coby by the way," He said._   
_"Luffy," I replied._   
_"Your name sounds familiar," Coby started leading the way further down one of the halls. I shrugged and followed him. He turned and took me up the stairs we went down another hall and stopped by the door._   
_"Well, there's your first class, that's weird, this is a senior classroom."_   
_"I am a senior," I said. Coby made a small 'o' with his lips and scratched the back of his head. "Um, well, I'd be glad to show you where some of your other classes are, or your locker."_   
_"Alright," I agreed. Coby showed me where each of my classes were and then where my locker was. The bell rang to start class._   
_"Oh, here," Coby pulled out a pen and started writing on my arm. "If you need anything just text me, you're welcome to sit with me and Helmepo at lunch."_   
_"Thanks, see ya," I said. I looked down at the writing scribbled on my arm and noticed something on my wrist. My heart dropped into my stomach. Why? I felt the tension build up in my chest, a huge amount of pressure that was not normal. I could feel my eyes start to water. Oh hell no. I ran to the nearest bathroom and locked myself in a stall. My hands were shaking when I pulled out my phone to call Sabo._   
_"Luffy?" Sabo asked as soon as I called._   
_"I need you to come to get me," I stuttered, trying so damned hard not to cry again._   
_"Luffy-"_   
_"Please, Sabo." A suppressed sob forced its way out._   
_"What's wrong?" Sabi was worried now, great._   
_"I have another mark." I covered my mouth as another sob tried to force its way into my throat. Someone else came into the bathroom._   
_"Luf, I can't get there right away, I'll be half an hour or so, you'll be okay 'til then right?" Sabo asked._   
_"Yeah," I said quietly, hoping the other person didn't hear me, but knowing that wasn't the case._   
_"I'll be there soon," Sabo assured. He hung up, I slumped to the floor and hugged my knee to my chest. Fuck! Fuck! I couldn't even handle one damned interaction anymore._   
_"Who the hell is in there cryin' like a bitch?" A voice asked. Oh, c'mon stupid prick. Someone banged on the stall door. Fuck this stupid school. I bit down on my lip, another bang on the door._   
_"What does it matter, the late bell is going to ring in less than a minute, let's go." I didn't here two people come in. They shook the stall door, the noise scared me and I involuntarily yelped._   
_"They're probably having a break down from stress dude, chill the fuck out, leave 'em alone." The door squeaked open again and another set of footsteps came in as the bell rang._   
_"Shit, it's Roronoa, Blue, let's go," The assholes left and the other person stayed. I felt him standing outside the stall I was in._   
_"You okay? Those guys are dicks," He said. The guys sat on the ground on the outside of the stall._   
_"Fine," I muttered._   
_"You don't sound very fine," The guy observed._   
_"Whatever."_   
_"You're late for class you know," The guy said._   
_"So are you," I bit._   
_"I've got no class first period," the guy scoffed. I didn't say anything else to him._

I woke up with tears rolling down my face. That tightness in my chest was aggressively asserting its presence. Torao's arm was slung over me. My nose was running and I found it difficult to breathe. This just sucked. I hadn't had a dream like that in months, hell, it would have been over a year if it weren't the stupid basement. I sat up and stayed quiet, long enough for the tears to dry on my face and my nose to clear. Law slept next to me the entire time. I laid back down when I could breathe again and cuddled closer to Law. His arms found their way around me again which was a comfort in and of itself. It seemed I was laying there like that all night, but I fell back asleep eventually.

_"Luffy, look!" Coby ran up from behind me and excitedly shoved a paper in my face, a certificate of some sort. "I'm officially part of the navy!" Coby's smile was huge._   
_"That's awesome,"_ _I_ _returned his grin. Cars on the street zoomed past us. The Navy was something Coby had been talking about since_ _I_ _met him. Zoro said he's been obsessed with it way longer than that._   
_"Yeah! The thing is,_ _I'm_ _leaving tomorrow morning," Coby said._   
_"Oh," I muttered. "When are you coming back?"_   
_"Not for a few months, you and Zoro will be long gone," Coby gave me a heartfelt smile._   
_"But, Helmeppo thinks I'm going to get myself killed, so he joined to and is going to be stationed in the same place as me." Coby followed me as_ _I_ _crossed the street. I was going to see Zoro._   
_"Where are you going to be? Maybe me_ _and_ _Zoro can go visit you,"_ _I_ _said._   
_"Have fun getting into Enies Lobby,_ _that's_ _a government only place." Coby stuck his tongue out. Enies Lobby, that sounded_ _familiar_ _. Zoro had something to do with it. A mission of some sort?_   
_"Coby!" I snapped. "You can't go there."_   
_"Well, normally, yeah, but_ _I_ _work for the government now," Coby laughed._   
_"What? Not because of that, it's-"_ _I_ _can't_ _tell_ _him the_ _reason_ _, Zoro made me promise not to_ _tell_ _anyone, not even Sabo. "You have to trust me, okay? You can't go there. Tell them to send you someplace else."_   
_"Luffy, I know it's dangerous there right now,_ _and_ _it's nice_ _that_ _you're_ _worried about me. I can't ask them to move me somewhere else._ _I'll_ _have Helmeppo with me,_ _I'll_ _be fine," Coby assured._   
_"You won't be! I can't tell you the reason but you just have to trust me,"_ _I_ _attempted._   
_"_ _I_ _won't die, I promise," Coby said with a laugh. I punched him._   
_Coby took a step back, shocked and confused._   
_"Luffy-"_   
_"Don't make promises like that, ever," I warned, storming off in the direction of the building Zoro called home. I got in_ _through_ _the hole Zoro made in the side of the building._   
_"Zoro!" I yelled, making my way up to_ _the_ _third floor. Zoro was asleep in a corner where he had a cot set up a beer bottle was knocked over on the floor next to the cot._   
_"Zoro!" I ran over to him and shook him awake. Zoro flinched_ _and_ _shoved me off him._   
_"Oh, it's just you," he muttered._   
_"Coby's going to be at Enies Lobby with that Helmeppo guy,"_   
_"Fuck," Zoro cursed. He sat up and rubbed his forehead._   
_"What are we going to do?" I asked._   
_"You're not doing anything," Zoro_ _said_ _. "I can't even do anything about it._ _I'll_ _try to protect them when it comes down to it, but_ _I_ _can't do much."_   
_"Zoro-"_   
_"Luffy, don't make it any harder than it has to be."_   
_"Zoro, he's my mark." I hated admitting_ _that_ _, but_ _I_ _knew it was true. Zoro was a little stunned._   
_"I can't promise that I can keep him from harm, but_ _I_ _can promise_ _I'll_ _try my damned best to keep him from dying," Zoro said._   
_"Thank you."_   
_"Hey, he's my friend too," Zoro said_ _I_ _nodded._   
_The next day came and Zoro and I went to see our friends off. The Navy_ _ship_ _was docked and people were there loading up for the voyage. Coby_ _and_ _Heppelmo were in their Navy uniforms, the honestly looked so silly in them. The looked like little kids in their parents uniform compared to the other marines._   
_"Luffy! Zoro!" Coby grinned when he saw us,_ _dropped_ _what he was doing and came over to see us. He had a bruise from_ _where_ _I_ _hit him yesterday._   
_"Damn, got into a fight already?" Zoro asked._   
_"Not exactly," Coby scratched the back of his head. A loud ring came from the ship._   
_"_ _That's_ _ten before the ship is leaving. I better get on board."_   
_"Alright, see you, Coby, try not to die," Zoro said._   
_"Hey, Luffy," Coby bounced on his toes. "_ _I'll_ _be fine, you'll see, but..." Coby moved slowly at first, he grabbed the collar of my shirt and quickly pulled me into a kiss. It lasted only a second or to before he stepped back, red in the face. "Just in case."_   
_Coby quickly made his way to the ship_ _and_ _boarded. Leaving me standing there stupidly with my mouth hanging open. Zoro started actually laughing._   
_"About fucking time," he said through his_ _laughter_ _. Dick._

_It was months later that Zoro had to_ _leave_ _for his assignment at Enies Lobby. I_ _hadn't_ _even spoken to Coby since that day at_ _the_ _dock. By then we had been to two_ _different_ _cities. In one we met Nami, and the one we were still in, we met Usopp and Sanji. Usopp joined right away, but Sanji was still considering it. We met him just after Zoro left._   
_It was late at night when it happened, Nami was the only one in the hotel room, she was sleeping in the other bed. I woke up from a_ _familiar_ _pain in my arm. It was throbbing at first and uncomfortable enough to wake me up. I checked my mark. It was black but it hurt a fuckton._   
_"What the hell,"_ _I_ _muttered, sitting up and rubbing the mark. Then there was a sharp,_ _piercing_ _pain that shot up my arm._   
_"Fuck!" I gasped a little too loud. I_ _didn't_ _mean to wake Nami up._   
_"Shut up," Nami threw a pillow and it hit my back. I_ _grabbed_ _my phone a turned on_ _the_ _flashlight and shined it on my mark. It was starting to scar from the edges inward._   
_The pain_ _intensified_ _. I doubled over, squeezing my wrist, anything to get the pain to stop. I_ _didn't_ _want_ _to think about Coby. I knew he was dying. I_ _knew_ _I'd_ _never see him again and that kiss was the last thing_ _I'd_ _ever have of him. I can't let that ever happen again._   
_"Damn it!" My voice cracked_ _and_ _I_ _fell off the edge of the bed. Nami turned the lamp by her bed on._   
_"Luffy-" she grumbled as she came around my bed. "What's wrong?" Nami kneeled down_ _in front_ _of me. I showed her my wrist._   
_"Oh, Luffy," she pulled me into a hug._

I jumped when I woke up, I balled my fist and bit my hand, trying to muffle the sob trapped in my chest. I silently got out of bed, being sure not to wake Law up. God, it wasn't fair to him that I still dreamt about my other marks. Law didn't deserve that bullshit. I made my way out of the room and went to Sabo's. Their bedroom door was half open and a lamp inside was on.   
"Sabo," I said. It was silly and childish that I was coming into my big brother's room after a nightmare.   
"Lu, what's wrong?" Sabo asked he was leaning against the headboard while Koala slept next to him. I didn't say anything, I just went up to him and laid on him, hugging him and burying my face into his chest. Sabo sighed.   
"Another dream?" He asked, running his hand through my hair and wrapping an arm around me. I nodded and took a deep, shaky breath.   
"What about?" Sabo asked quietly. Sabo's voice was always soft and calming when I needed him like this.   
"Ace and Coby," I muttered. Koala stirred and started to wake up.   
"First day of school, huh?" Sabo asked, continuing to comb his fingers through my hair. I nodded again. "Remember what happened after I picked you up? I took you home, well at least what we called home at the time, and Koala brought us ice cream and churros. You laughed for the first time since Ace, really hard too."   
"You smiled for real," I added.   
"Yeah, thought I had done such a good job at hiding that too," Sabo chuckled. Koala sat up and got out of bed.   
"I dreamed about the day Coby left too, and the day he died." I wiped the tears from my face. Sabo usually reminded me of something good that came out of situations like the ice cream and churros, but when it was more serious stuff he stayed with me in silence.


	56. Family

_**♡** _ _**Law♡** _

I felt the bed shift as Luffy got off the bed. I thought nothing of it, but now I was awake and without Luffy, it wasn't so easy to get back to sleep. When he left the room I was near wide awake. My lips and throat were dry, too much sugar last night and not enough water. I really didn't want to get up though, so there was that. I contemplated my choices for several, long moments, before finally getting up and heading for the kitchen.   
"Well, at least what we called home at the time, and Koala brought us ice cream and churros. You laughed for the first time since Ace, really hard too," Sabo said.   
"And you smiled," Luffy said, I could hear in his voice that he had been crying, I stopped just before passing the doorway.   
"Yeah, I thought I had done a really good job at hiding that too," Sabo said with a small chuckle. I heard footsteps, Koala came through the door and looked at me. She walked past me and went into the bathroom. Sabo and Luffy fell silent. The only sounds were the occasional sniffles from Luffy. I wasn't sure how long I stood there in silence.  
"Lu..." The tone in Sabo's voice had changed. "I'm glad you come to me when you have nightmares, but why didn't you go to Law?" Luffy was having nightmares?   
"I didn't want to wake him up..." Luffy muttered so quietly I nearly missed what he had said.   
"You would have woken me up," Sabo said. "What's the real reason?" Luffy was quiet again, not nearly as long as he had been before.   
"I-it's stupid."  
"Try me."  
"I...I don't want him to think I don't love him just because I still love them." Luffy said. I rested the back of my head against the wall. What the hell had I done to make him think that?   
"Luffy-ya," I sighed, it was so quiet it couldn't even have been a whisper. Koala came back.  
"C'mon," she whispered, leading me past the door. She led me into the dining room and turned the light on.   
"Don't worry too much about that okay," she said.   
"How do I not?" I muttered, staring down at the table. Koala turned on the water.   
"Sabo will tell him he should talk to, and no doubt he will, in time," Koala assured and set a glass of water in front of me. "I'm sure you know Luffy is insecure and overly cautious when it comes to his marks."   
I nodded and stayed silent. I couldn't help but wonder what I did to cause Luffy to think that. Maybe something I didn't do. That was even worse.   
"Law, what are you thinking?" Koala asked after some silence sat between us. Koala sat across the table from me with a glass of water.   
"What I did or didn't do to make Luffy-ya think he can't talk to me about his marks," I said honestly, taking a drink from the water she had given me. Koala pressed her lips together and let out a sigh through her nose.   
"Law...it's not you." She bit her lip and glanced down the darkened hallway that led the bedrooms.   
"Just give him some time," Koala said, she stood from the chair and took another drink from her cup. She set it on the counter and went back down the hall. I sat in silence for a while, rocking my glass on its bottom. I could have just gone back to bed, but now there were far too many things going through my head at once. Luffy, being one, Luffy was always on my mind now. My thoughts always wondered right back to him. Then there was Doflamingo and Stussy. The auction was just three days away. Stussy was supposed to be getting into town in the afternoon. All of that had seemed so far away until this moment. I rubbed my forehead. The magnitude of what I was doing was something that had loomed over me, though I had pushed it aside the moment I saw Luffy's smiling face again. And shit, Sabo was going to be at the auction. I had nearly forgotten about that, fuck. How was I going to explain that? Fuck, how much did he already know about me?   
"Torao," Luffy wrapped his arms around my shoulders and pressed a soft and loving kiss on my cheek. "Watchya doing out here?" He asked.   
"Couldn't sleep," I said. That wasn't anywhere near a lie.   
"Did I wake you up?" Luffy rested his chin on my shoulder. _Yes.  
_ "No," I took a drink from my glass, finishing off what water was left. Luffy yawned.   
"Are you coming back to bed?"  
"If that's where you want me," I said with a small smile.   
"Well, duh," Luffy snickered. Luffy let go of me, I set my cup into the sink and followed Luffy to his bedroom. I climbed back into bed. Luffy sat down and stared at his hands for a moment.   
"What's wrong, Love?" I sat up and ran my hand through his hair. Luffy turned to me and hugged me. The action took me by surprise, he nearly knocked me onto my back.   
"You know I love you, right?" He muttered.   
"Of course," I answered, the words he had said to Sabo echoed in the back of my head. We curled up beneath the blankets and eventually, went back to sleep. Granted, it didn't last very long.   
Luffy woke me up again this time intentionally. If he hadn't, it wouldn't have been long before the light coming in from the window did.   
"Torao-" Luffy's voice cracked when he said my name, well, at least the one he had given me.   
"Hm?" I hummed, running my hand down his bare back. Luffy sniffled and nuzzled his face into the crook of my neck. "What's the matter? Why are you crying?"   
Luffy hugged me tighter and his shaky breathe brushed against my skin. He didn't respond any more than that.   
"Lu?" I asked. Luffy still didn't respond. Was he sleeping? I enveloped him in a hug an rubbed his back, holding him close to me. After a few minutes, his sniffles slowly came to a halt, and there were no more hiccuped sobs. Luffy pulled away from me just enough to look up at me.   
"I had a nightmare," Luffy muttered. He paused, "about one of my marks."  
"Oh," I ran my hand through his hair and kissed his forehead.   
"I've been having them all night," Luffy whispered.   
"Are you okay?" I asked that was a dumb question.   
"Better now," Luffy assured, hugging me tight again and pressing his entire body to mine.   
"Can I ask who it was about?" Luffy was quiet for a little while, but I knew better than to assume he wasn't going to respond.   
"Coby," He finally said his voice only a little muffled. "I've been having dreams of him all night."  
"And which mark is that?" I asked.  
"The second one," Luffy said.   
"Hm, and what was he like?" I kept rubbing his back.   
"He was a crybaby, and scared of everything, he was brave though," Luffy said, I could tell he was smiling now.  
"Yeah? And how'd you meet him?" I asked.   
"The first day at a new school, he helped me find my classes," Luffy spoke fondly of Coby. Like he was something Luffy cared for just as much as he cared for me or Sabo.  
"I see," I muttered. It was so unfair, as childish as that sounded. Luffy is probably the kindest person on the planet and he's had to lose so many people he cares about, so many people's he's loved.   
I was painstakingly aware that if none of these people had died, he wouldn't be here with me right now.   
"Torao, say something, I don't like when you get all quiet like this," there was distress in Luffy's voice. I wasn't even sure what to say.   
"I'm sorry, Love. I think..." I started to say, "that it's unfair that you've had to lose so many people you've loved," I ran my hand through his hair. "And that you don't deserve to carry such heavy burdens because you are the kindest person I have ever met."   
"Torao-" Luffy started to say but stopped. He pressed his forehead to my chest.   
"I'm so stupid," he muttered.   
"Why's that?"  
"I was scared to tell you I was having dreams about my marks," Luffy admitted. "I woke up from one earlier and went to Sabo."  
"I know, I heard you when I got up for water."   
"Oh," Luffy muttered. There was a knock on the door.   
"Come in," Luffy called. The door swung open to reveal Sabo.   
"We're going to the Christmas festival in town in two hours, spending all day there, by the way, Law, and then we're going to see Dadan because she'll kill me if I don't take you to see them this time, and there's breakfast ready," Sabo informed.   
"Shit! I still have to wrap presents!" Luffy cursed. He jumped out of bed and ran to the kitchen. Sabo quickly got out of his way.  
"Hey, Law, has Luffy told you who Dadan or Garp are?"   
"Not that I recall," I said.   
"Garp is Luffy's Grandpa, he's in the Navy, him and Luffy don't get along very well. Dadan is our adoptive mom, if you don't think you're ready to meet the rest of Luffy's family then you don't have to go we'll only be there for dinner tonight." I nodded.   
"I think Luffy-ya will want me to go," I said.   
"Probably, it's up to you," Sabo agreed. He then turned and walked down the hall. I got up, got dressed and followed. There was a mountain of pancakes on the dining table. I didn't think hogging down twelve pancakes in five minutes was possible until I witnessed Luffy do it. Another minute and Luffy had eaten a ridiculous amount of scrambled eggs and bacon too, as soon as he finished, Luffy ran back to his room, forbidding anyone from going inside it. Shit, my phone was in there, and my book. Meanwhile, the rest of us finished eating at normal and humane speed. Still, after breakfast, Luffy was shut up in his room.   
It was nearly time to go when Luffy came out, carrying a stack of poorly wrapped boxes. He sat down and set them under the tree, which had acquired several presents overnight.   
"Took you long enough, how much paper did you waste?" Sabo asked.   
"An entire roll." Luffy had five presents and none of which were very large.   
"Why didn't you just ask Nami or Robin to wrap them?" Koala asked, laughing at Luffy's misadventures.   
"I forgot," he said.  
"The festival is starting soon we should get ready to go," Sabo said.   
I headed to Luffy's room only to discover the aftermath of the mess Luffy created. Wrapping paper was every was. And tap was stuck to random surfaces. I was just grateful none of those surfaces were my suitcase or my laptop. I grabbed my phone, and a warm jacket and went back to the living room. The others had done the same. All save for Luffy, who wore a hoodie and sandals for fuck's sake.   
"Lu, shouldn't you wear shoes," I said.   
"Nope," Luffy replied. I was taken aback for a moment. There was at least two feet worth of snow outside and he was wearing sandals.   
"Don't argue, you won't win," Sabo warned. I didn't listen.   
"You're going to get frostbite or something, you should put sneakers on at least."  
"Nah," Luffy said carelessly.   
"Luffy-ya," it's not like I could make him put some shoes on. "Would you at least put on a warmer coat?"   
"Mm, okay," Luffy went back into his room. Koala and Sabo stared at me dumbfounded.   
"It was _that_ easy?" Sabo asked. What? "Who gave you these powers?"   
"All I did was ask him to put on a coat..." I muttered.   
"And he agreed!" Koala said as if it were some life-changing situation. Luffy came back into the living room wearing a heavier sweater and the hoodie underneath.   
"Better?" Luffy asked.  
"Yes, thank you," I replied. Luffy stood on his toes and kissed my cheek. Sabo and Koala still looked as dumbfounded before.  
"Let's go," Luffy said, grabbing my hand and leading the way out the door. We walked to the center of town, which really wasn't all that far, a few blocks at most. I was worried about Fai though. She had gotten adjustments to her leg before we left and she said it was more comfortable but she didn't really get the chance to test it. I made a note to myself to check on her frequently to be sure she wasn't in too much pain.  
There were people out all over the place, they were walking into shops with friends, there was music and a huge dance thing going on in one of the roads. Hot cider, cocoa, and coffee were being sold at stalls all over the place. there were all kinds of lights up all over the place, on buildings, over the road, on signs, the center of town looked like Santa Claus threw up Christmas onto it. With all the people and lights and hot beverages, it wasn't as cold as I thought it might be. Fairly warm for it being December and all. Once it got dark, there was a light parade through the town.  
"Torao, you're going too slow we're going to miss it!" Luffy grabbed my hand and started pulling me to go faster, I was just trying not to slip on the ice. Sabo and Koala had disappeared in the crowd ahead of us, Fai too. Luffy just trudged onward. We walked nearly two blocks to the very center of town, where the parade was starting before Luffy found a satisfying place to watch the parade. Sabo, Koala, and Fai were still nowhere to be seen. Luffy pushed his way to the curb on the road, leaving me to apologize to the people he pushed out of the way because my idiot boyfriend has no manners.   
"Torao, look," Luffy directed my attention to a giant Ruldoph exoskeleton of light. Luffy leaned his head on my shoulder to watch the parade.   
"There you are," Sabo said just over my other shoulder. I looked behind me, Sabo and Koala were there I couldn't see Fai.   
"Fai's not with you?" Koala and I asked at the same time. She may have stopped somewhere to sit down, but she still shouldn't be alone.   
"I thought she was with you guys," Sabo said. I shook my head. We lost her the same time we lost you and Koala-ya," I explained.   
"Call her," Luffy suggested. I reached into my pocket with the hand Luffy wasn't holding onto and pulled out my phone. Fai answered around the third ring.   
"Where are you? Are you okay?" I asked.   
"I dunno, but I'm watching that parade," Fai said. "And I'm fine."  
"Ask her what float shes sees," Sabo suggested.   
"What float do you see?" I repeated.   
"I giant Grinch is right in front of me," Fai said. I looked up and down the road, I could see the grinch heading towards us.   
"Over by the Grinch," I said to Sabo. Sabo stood on his toes to see over the people.   
"I'll go get her," he said, letting go of Koala's hand.   
"Sabo-ya is coming to get you," I informed her as Sabo headed in that direction.   
"Oh, okay," Fai said.   
"See you in a bit," I said.   
"Yep!" Fai chirped and hung up the phone. Luffy stayed quiet, watching all the floats pass by. I leaned over just enough to see his face, he wore a soft smile on his lips and his eyes reflected the colorful lights. I switched to my phone camera to take a picture of him. Luffy noticed and his smile grew a little more but he made no attempt to pose for the picture. I put my phone away and watched the parade go by.   
"Found her," Sabo said. I looked back over to see Fai and Sabo standing behind Luffy and me.   
"Hey, don'tchya know tall people go in the back," Fai said, poking my side.   
"Coincidentally, short people go in front and I happen to be dating the shortest person here," I remarked.   
"Torao is staying right here," Luffy added.  
"Well then, scoot over so I can see too," Fai said. Luffy and I stepped to the side a bit to make room for Fai, while Sabo and Koala stood behind Luffy.   
Luffy pulled my hand into his pocket and stepped closer to me. This was nice, the cold air bit at my nose and ears but Luffy standing close to me, watching the parade lights left a certain oozy kind of warmth in my chest that I just couldn't explain. After the parade, the five of us walked back to Sabo's and Koala's house. It was toasty and warm inside.   
"Lu, we're going to Mt. Colubo in a little while," Sabo said, despite that, Luffy still settled on the couch next to me.   
"Mt. Colubo?" Fai echoed, leaning against the back of the couch while Koala crouched by the heater to warm up her hands.   
"Oh right, it's to visit Luffy and Sabo's family, you don't have to go, they're a little crazy anyway."   
"Torao, I want you to come," Luffy said.   
"Alright," I agreed. Luffy smiled and hugged me.   
"Fai, you should come too,"   
"Nah, it's your guys' thing, besides, the phantom pains are getting really annoying," Fai said.  
"You okay?" I asked.   
"Yeah, the parade just wore me out," Fai said. "Off you go." Fai waved us off.   
"Fair warning Law, Garp is an absolute nut case and will already consider you part of the family the moment you walk inside that door," Koala warned.   
"Noted," I said. Koala stood up and sat on the edge of the couch.   
"Sabo, Dragon said he's going to go to Mt. Colubo too," Koala called after putting down her phone.   
"Dragon's going?" He asked from his bedroom.   
"Who's that?"   
"My dad," Luffy said. I was shocked for a moment, I thought Luffy didn't know either of his parents.  
"I thought you didn't know your parents."  
"I don't, I've only met the guy once and that was an accident," Luffy shrugged and leaned against me.   
"Sabo and I work with him," Koala said. That was weird. I think I'll stop asking questions then.   
It was a few more minutes before we got ready to go, Koala asked Fai if she was sure she wanted to stay before we left, Fai, in fact, did want to stay and the four of us got into Sabo's car and drove up to Mt. Colubo. It was about an hour and a half drive in the snow, so it probably took much less time in the warmer seasons. Sabo pulled to a stop in front of a small cabin in the woods. There couldn't have been many people around for miles. Apparently, the closest town was a run-down mountain town called Gray Terminal.   
"Looks like everyone else I already here," Sabo said. Koala nodded.   
"Welp, let's go inside," Koala said, with that, we headed inside the cabin.   
Upon entering, there was a large man with graying hair that pulled all four of us into a massive headlock, two of us in each arm.   
"Ungrateful brats, you haven't even called in months and the only time I see you is during the holidays?" Good lord, this must be Garp. He let me and Koala go, but Luffy and Sabo still couldn't escape. A woman with fluffy, curly, red hair came up behind Koala and me.   
"And who, are you?" She asked suspiciously.   
"Oh relax, Dadan, this is Law, he's Luffy's boyfriend.   
"Yer not going to die are you?" She asked.   
"Dadan!" Koala said in alarm.   
"I don't plan on it anytime soon," I assured.   
"Well, good, 'cause I'll beat the crap out of ya if you give my boy another scar," Dadan warned.   
"I'll keep that in mind," I said. Dadan started to laugh. I wasn't sure what she found so funny.   
"I like this one," she said, patting my shoulder.   
"Oi, Garp, let me said hi to those lil' shits," Dadan grumbled, walking over too Sabo and Luffy. I looked around the place. It was old and rickety. The floorboards creaked with each step and the place was cool, verging on cold despite a hot fire going in the fireplace and dinner being kept warm. This is where Luffy grew up. A cabin in the woods. It oddly fit him well. This also, was where Luffy met his first mark.  
Once Luffy and Sabo were realized from the scoldings of their parental figures we settled down, though it wasn't my definition of calm, it was certainly the calmest point of the entire evening.   
As soon and Luffy's grandpa realized who I was to Luffy, chaos only grew. On top of that, he recognized my name. He knew Corazon. I want exactly sure how but I want sure I wanted to find out either. Luffy's dad was by far the most intimidating. Sabo and Koala got along with him just fine, but Luffy paid the guy no attention. And his brooding glances towards me were no help. Dinner was chaos, I hardly ate anything and what I did eat was because Luffy made sure I had something to eat. When it was all over, I was glad to be leaving, that's for sure.   
On the car ride home, Luffy fell asleep leaning on my shoulder. I carried him inside and tucked him into bed. Koala and Sabo headed to bed too. It was kinda let after the day we had. Since everyone was asleep I gathered all the presents I had neglected to wrap and went out to the living room with Fai.   
"So, how did it go?" Fai asked with amusement.   
"Luffy-ya's family is insane," I said. Fai nodded as I started laying out presents and wrapping paper. "You've seen Luffy eat right?"  
"Yep, not pretty."  
"His whole family is like that."  
"Oh, jeez." I nodded.   
"What'd you get me?"   
"None of your business," I said. I hadn't wrapped her present, but her's was going in a bag and not being wrapped so that'd be easy to keep her from seeing.   
"Fair enough," Fai said. "Oh, that's Luffy's present, right?" I nodded. Fai grabbed it and sat down next to me. Se flipped through the pages. I had added a few pictures to it. One was of Luffy with Penguin and Bepo. Another was of him and me in my kitchen. Fai had taken the picture without either of us knowing.   
"This is really sweet you know that," Fai said. "Better watch out, people will start thinking you have emotions and crap."   
"Shut up," I muttered, playfully shoving her. Fai just laughed and moved onto the couch behind me.


	57. Initiate

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyy guy's ive been super busy with school stuff, essays, tests, scholarships, you name it, im drowning in it lol. So this chapter wasn't proofread very well so forgive me! See ya next week for an update ;) I gotta go finish my Extended Essay (ugh, kill me pls)

**_♡_ ** _**Law♡** _

"Torao, I'm going," Luffy crossed his arms over his chest, he was completely serious about this.   
"Lu, I need you to stay out of it," I insisted.   
"No!" Luffy snapped. I was glad Koala and Sabo had already left for the auction. Luffy stood between me and the door, and he had no intention of moving.   
"Luffy-ya, I'm not taking you with me," I argued.   
"Fine," Luffy said. That didn't sit well with me. "Don't do something to get hurt." Luffy stepped out of the way and huffed. I walked outside and closed the door behind me. I had a really bad feeling about Luffy, still, I couldn't think of anything he might do in retaliation. I got into the car Stussy and Zoro were waiting for me in.   
"Boyfriend trouble?" Zoro asked once Stussy had pulled back onto the road.  
"That obvious?" I asked.   
"It helps that I know Luffy way too well," Zoro said.   
"He wants to be there," I muttered.  
"Sanji too, you know he'll find a way to be there right?" Zoro said.   
"I don't see how," I said.   
"His brother is going to be there," Zoro said. "Still think he can't find a way?"  
"Him and Koala already left," I said.   
" You'll see," Zoro insisted. I didn't doubt him. Stussy took us to an abandoned apartment building across the street from the temporary auction house. It reminded me of the older buildings in Flevance, with old, peeling white paint and the addition of boarded-up windows and doorways. She pulled around the back of it and lead us into an entrance, which was really the gap between the ground and the window which had been kicked in or persuaded open with a sledgehammer. We had crouch to get into it. It was a pain in the ass trying not to get the stupid suit I was wearing dirty. I'm sure Stussy felt the same about her dress Seeing as she had to bunch the ankle length skirt up around her thighs. Zoro wore a suit too  
"Think you can get into the building from here, Roronoa?" Stussy asked., but only in case he had to blend in with the crowd it something went wrong. Seeing as he was going to be hidden in an old ventilation shaft, it was going to get dirty no matter what.   
"Probably, though, I would have gone for the attic of the coffee shop next door, the owner usually leaves the back door unlocked and there a gap about the length of my arm between the two buildings," Zoro said. That's right, he grew up here.   
"I tried my best," she said. Zoro nodded.   
"We should get to the top floor, any kid could get in here," I said. Zoro and Stussy agreed though I was in no hurry to wander through an old rotting building. The three of us walked through the plan we had developed. It wasn't all that complicated, most of it relied on Zoro being stealthy. I wasn't sure that was reliable yet. Stussy had called him one of the best assassins before, that had to count for something. Zoro didn't like that he'd have to use a gun, but there was no way Zoro could get close enough to use the swords he was so proud of.   
My phone rang, making all of us jump. Abandoned buildings tended to be eerily quiet.   
"What do you want?" I asked, of course, it was Doflamingo.   
"Where are you?"   
"Just around the corner, I'll be there in a minute," I said.   
"Good, do hurry, Dellinger needs your help stocking the display/"  
"Yeah, Yeah, I'll be there," I said. I hung up the phone and sighed.   
"I've gotta be there soon, Stussy-ya, are you walking in with me?"   
"I might as well hold the facade to the end," she said.  
"How you've managed to pretend to hate me while pretending to like me is brilliant Trafalgar, you'd make a great assassin."   
"Tch," Zoro muttered.  
"You know it's true," Stussy said to Zoro. "We'd better get going."   
"When you leave, take a left down the alley and keep going until you get to the main road, then turn and walk down the road the auction house is on. It'll look like you two are coming from the fancy restaurant down there," Zoro said.   
"And here I thought you were bad with directions," I said.  
"I grew up here, I know every back alley and dirt trail through this entire town," Zoro said.   
"You win," I said as Stussy and I started to head for the way down. We managed to get out of the place with the only casualty being a tear in the white hat Stussy wore. She was given with no choice but to go without it. We walked the direction Zoro had told us to. I could see the fancy restaurant Zoro had mentioned, only it was on the side of the road as the auction house, which meant Stussy and I had to cross the busy road but it was a good idea nonetheless. We then walked down the road, Doflamingo was standing near the front, smoking. I hadn't seen him smoke since I was a kid.   
"Hello, Law," he greeted. "And good evening Stussy." He gave her a polite smile. Doflamingo smiling always gave me an unsettling feeling but perhaps it actually came off as polite to Stussy.   
"I'll see you inside, Trafalgar," Stussy kissed my cheek. I frowned as she walked inside.   
"I really fucking hate you," I muttered, glaring at Doflamingo.   
"Fufufu, whatever you say, just get the display loaded," Doflamingo nodded his head to follow, he led me around the building and into a side entrance. There was one long hallway that led to the actual backstage area, in the hall were a bunch of storage rooms all of which were dark and musky. This was backstage, Dellinger had just about everything loaded.   
"Go with the more colorful ones, they don't look as elegant but they'll look more interesting," I said.  
"This crowd will like elegant," Dellinger said. Doflamingo agreed.   
"The same crowd who buys people out of cages and will brawl over price adjustments?" I asked. "The more odd and interesting, the more money they'll pay, with how much we sold to Kaido we'll need the prices high. We don't have enough stock to sell it to everyone in the building."   
"Law's got a point, do as he says," Doflamingo decided. Dellinger sighed and started switching out the fruit. I helped Dellinger sort through which to put in the display case. We went for a few that were plain looking just so customers wouldn't be put off by the odd coloring. After that was done, I went out onto the main floor. Half of which was carpeted and adorned with tables with black cloths and grey dishware for dinner. The other half was a ballroom type setting with a platform in the far corner, large enough for a grand piano. The entire room had a high ceiling with a massive, yet elegant chandelier to provide dim lighting.   
I saw Sabo and Koala instantly. They hadn't noticed me yet.   
"Law," Doflamingo said.   
"Yes?"  
"That's the bitch that tried to set Dressrosa against me," he noted. I grimaced at how much he sounded like a toddler.  
"Yes, she's with the revolutionaries," I said, that was common knowledge.   
"That man next to her? Who is he?" Doflamingo asked. I was surprised he didn't know.  
"Doffy, that's Sabo, he's the right hand of Dragon." I was a little taken aback by that name. I knew that had been familiar. Luffy's dad was the leader of the Revolutionary movement.  
"I want her dead by the end of the night, Law." I knew an order when I heard it.   
"I told you I wasn't going to kill anyone for you," I said.   
"She's not anyone, I don't want her leaving this building alive."  
'I'll take care of it of Law's too cowardly to do it," Dellinger said.   
"It's not cowardice to refuse to take a human life," I glared at Dellinger.   
"I think Law can handle it," Doflamingo squeezed my shoulder. "Remeber the power I have Law." I frowned. It's fine, he'll be dead by the end of the night anyway. Granted, if I put up no fight he might grow suspicious.   
"Careful using the same threat, you won't have it forever," I muttered. Stussy found her way towards me. "I'll take care of it."   
"Mind if I steal him away?" Stussy asked. "Rumor is there will be dancing soon."   
"Be our guest," Doflamingo said. Finally. Piano music started playing.   
"You can Waltz, can't you?" Stussy asked.  
"Yes, I can," I said, taking her hand and going to the dance floor. It seems Sabo and Koala had taken to dancing too. Uh-oh.  
"You seemed distressed, I thought I'd come to save you," Stussy said as we started to dance, she followed my lead.   
"I'm always distressed near him," I said.  
"He's a very distasteful man," Stussy said.   
"You're not wrong," I turned so my back was to Sabo and Koala.  
"That was a bit abrupt, are you hiding from someone?"  
"Over my shoulder, the revolutionaries," I admitted.  
"Ah, those two, quite a cute couple, though the government would rather have them dead I like those two." I glanced over my shoulder, turning a bit more, just to be sure they couldn't see my face. There was no avoiding them finding out I was here, they'd see me on stage. I was only delaying the inevitable.  
"Can you keep a secret?"  
"You know that is my profession, but I'm going to assume you mean from the government, yes, I can," she assured.  
"Sabo is my mark's older brother and I've been staying at his house the past week, I'd prefer if he didn't know I was here," I said quietly.  
"Oh my," Stussy said with a small laugh, suddenly I wish it was Luffy I was dancing with. I hope I'd get to do this with him soon, waltzing. Can he even waltz? I'd assume so, he is a dancer.  
"Did you hear a word I just said?" Stussy sounded a little amused.   
"No," I said honestly.  
"You were thinking about your mark, weren't you?"  
"Yes," I said with a blush. Stussy turned us.   
"That was close, keep your voice low, they're right behind you." I nodded. "You should tell me about what had you so distracted though."   
"Um..."  
"Oh c'mon, I'd love to hear about it, you are so obviously in love with him." I felt myself blush even more.  
"I was thinking about dancing with him," I said.  
"That's all?" I nodded.  
"That is much more innocent than I thought it would be," she laughed.  
"What's that supposed to mean?"  
"Nothing you have to worry about." Another couple steps back and another partial turn to shield my identity from Sabo and Koala.  
"A masquerade might have made this easier," Stussy said.  
"Probably, but masks don't hide your face as much as people think they do," I replied.  
"You're too smart for your own good," Stussy sighed. Not the first time I heard that.  
"I think they're trying to follow us, should we end this dance and go his in the rest of the crowd?" Stussy suggested.  
"Yes," I said. Stussy and I made it to the edge of the dance floor and broke free from the dance without being exposed.  
"Has Roronoa texted you yet?"  
"I don't think so," I patted down my pockets.  
"Oh no," I muttered.   
"What?"  
"I left my phone near the display," I said. "C'mon." I grabbed her hand and lead her to the back room, I had a key to the room Doflamingo's supply was in, so I opened it only to find Dellinger inside it.   
"Law, what are you doing here?" he asked.  
"Justing looking for my phone," I said. Dellinger seemed to have reverted back to hating me.  
"This one?" Dellinger picked up my phone off the display. I nodded, though my heart was hammering in my throat. What if Zoro had texted and he saw it? He shouldn't have been able to read the entire text from the lock screen but depending on what Zoro sent he may know.  
"Yes," I said. I took my phone from him without hesitation. I was sure not to be too quick either.  
"Thanks." I turned and walked back down the hall.  
"Did Roronoa text?" Stussy asked quietly. I didn't answer, I turned on the screen and a message from Zoro was there. The text on the screen read:   
_What time will you be ready?_  
I sighed with relief. That could easily be interpreted as a ride home after this. I opened my phone and opened Zoro's text he had also said he was in position, that text was sent seconds before the other one.   
"Yeah, I don't think Dellinger could have guessed what he meant though."  
"That's good, what did he say?" Stussy asked as we went to the main floor again.  
"He's ready," I said. I texted Zoro the time. He sent a distant and blurry picture of Stussy and I. I smiled at that and showed Stussy. She smiled and looked up at the area where the angle would have come from.  
"Oh, the old vent," she said. I glanced up to see what she meant but no more than that.   
"When will the auction start?"  
"It'll be another hour until dinner is served, then an hour after that the auction will start, another hour is when they'll have the big presentation. That's when Doflamingo and I will be on stage." Stussy nodded.  
"Law, go to the men's room, on my right, keep your head low and go quickly, the revolutionaries are behind you."  
"Thanks," I muttered, doing as she said. I walked quickly. Almost immediately I got a text. I check it as I walked. Stussy informed me Sabo was still following me. Fuck. It was too late then. I went into the bathroom and accepted my fate quietly. There was no one else in there, that was either really bad or really good.   
"Trafalgar, I'm going to ask you one question and depending on your answer I'll ask a follow-up question, or I will kick your ass," Sabo said.   
"Shoot," I said without turning to face him.   
"Does Luffy know you're here?" That wasn't the question I was expecting.  
"Yes," I finally turned to him. He glared at me suspiciously.   
"Good." Sabo stood with his arms crossed.   
"Now, what are you doing here?"   
"Helping my uncle show a product for the black market, I'll assume Koala-ya told you I was related to Joker?"   
"She did, she also told me you had cut ties with him," Sabo said. It wasn't a question, but it demanded an answer.   
"I tried to, but there's no escaping him. He's been threatening Luffy-ya and his friends, not directly but it's the only reason I'm helping him." I admitted. I couldn't have Sabo hating me. I might as well tell him everything as he asks it. He and Luffy were far too close for it to not hurt their relationship and ours.   
"Luffy knows that too?" I nodded.   
"And Stussy? You've been dancing with her, and she seems to think you're more than friends," Sabo glared at me hard for this one. Should I tell him about the assassination? Will he try to stop me or help me?  
"Joker wants me to court her so she's on our side, Luffy-ya knows about that too, he doesn't like it but he trusts me," I said.  
"I don't," Sabo said flatly.  
"I don't blame you, but I really prefer you not to hate me."   
"You're making that kind of hard," I nodded.  
"And I think I'm about to make it harder. Joker wants me to kill Koala before she leaves here tonight." Sabo's glare went from angry to murderous. " I don't intend on letting that happen, but he still holds the threat of Luffy-ya's life over me. I don't want anyone to get hurt."   
"How long have you known about that?" Sabo looked like he was trying to keep himself from killing me right now.   
"He gave me the order when I got here." Sabo relaxed a little.   
"That's good, it's good that Luffy knows what's going on too. He's decided to stay with you regardless and I have to respect that rather I like it or not," Sabo was talking to himself more than to me.  
"If my family gets hurt because of you, I'll make sure you regret being born," his words carried a lot more weight than he let on.   
"I wouldn't expect anything less," I said. Sabo nodded.  
"How do you intend on avoiding killing Koala?" Sabo leaned against the bathroom door.  
"I don't know yet, but I'll kill Doflamingo before I hurt her, or anyone else."   
"That's a good answer, how do I know you're not telling me what I want to hear?" I pressed my lips together.  
"You don't I guess, you'll just have to trust me," I met his eyes.   
"I hope for your sake, you're trustworthy," Sabo said. He moved from the door and pushed it open. I took my chance. Stussy was talking to Koala when I came out, they seemed to be making light conversation.  
"Hello, Law," she said with a threatening tone, she was just as protective of Luffy as Sabo was. I'm sure if she had been the one to catch me alone the conversation would have gone much worse. Sabo came out just moments later.  
"Sorry Stussy, I'll have to steel Koala from you," he said.  
"No worries," She said with a smile. Sabo and Koala walked away, with Sabo whispering in Koala's ear. Stussy turned to me.  
"Oh, you look like you're going to be sick," she said.   
"I'm surprised I haven't been at this point."  
"How much did you tell him?"   
"Just about everything but the plan," I said. "I was too worried he'd try to stop me, we're too close for that now." Stussy nodded.  
"That's good, Koala tried to get information out of me about you, I kept it vague. I'd rather stay away from influencing your personal life," Stussy said.   
"And I thank you for that."  
"It's simply human decency," Stussy said. "Do you know this dance?"  
"Foxtrot?" I said, watching the dancing start.  
"Yes, it's my favorite," Stussy said.  
"I haven't done that in a long time, but I think I can give it a try If you really want."   
"Well that's good," Stussy said, she led me back to the dance floor. After messing up a few times, I got back into the hang of it after a few times. Stussy just laughed each time I did manage to mess up. After that was over I was glad to leave. It wasn't too long before dinner started. It was boring, I sat at a table with Doflamingo, Dellinger, Stussy, as well as Ceasary and whatever woman he brought as his date. Stussy, as friendly as she was, wasn't all that interesting. I would have much rather spent my night with Luffy...  
Then the auction started. It was the usual random clusters of rare things some seller had run into, nothing new or spectacular. At the end there were people, usually, three were sold with some sort of rare feature. This year, one was albino, the only thing I could think of was Bepo being put through that situation and it made me sick. I was glad I didn't eat a lot. The other two was a boy near Dellinger's age with Alexandria's Genesis and a little girl with two different colored eyes. While those three were being paraded to the sick place that was the black market Doflamingo and I left to present the product. I texted Zoro to let him know it was time.  
Now, personally, I didn't give a shit if Doflamingo was financially successful or not. So when he told me to put on a show for his Smiles, all that really mattered to me is how I appeared to these guys. I just didn't want them to know I was anything but the cynical little shit they had first met.   
Doflamingo said he'd go along with whatever I came up with. We hooked up to microphones that clipped to our shirts and set loose on the stage.  
"Alright, before you see these, remember, not everything is what it seems," I started. "These, are not what they seem, they come in different shapes, colors, flavors."  
"This is a drug, a drug that will make you feel something you've never felt before. You might say, it's impossible to guarantee something like that, there are far too many factors that go into that. And there are." I couldn't see shit with the stage lights in my face. "But, the thing with these is that the moment you bite into them, the chemical make up of the drug is already changing, customizing itself to fit each, individual person. Joker, give our Audience some examples."  
"There's a huge range with these drugs, they can give an energy boost no energy drink can match, from the same drug, another person can be comatose in seconds, of course, that's just temporary, you have to come off a high eventually." Okay, this wasn't supposed to last this long. Was something wrong? It's a good thing I actually wrote the whole script for this presentation.   
"Another strand can also provide the mind-numbing experience anyone with some trama so desperately seeks out," I explained.   
"Lady's and Gentlemen, from the brilliant mind of Joker himself, I present to you, Smiles." I motioned to the covered display. Doflamingo pulled the cover off to reveal the display of fruit. I opened my mouth to speak again, but gunshot rang through the entire building I looked over at Doflamingo. I think it was the only time I had ever seen him look absolutely horrified. I smirked at the stupid expression on his face. Eat shit, Doffy.   
I hit the stage with a thud and a scream echoed through the room.


	58. Oops

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's a pov change, sorry but it had to happen, I've got loads of work to do for my art exhibit on Monday so I'll see you next Wednesday ;)

_**《** _ _**Zoro》** _

"Zoro, I have a bad feeling about this, I'm going with you," Sanji insisted.  
"You've never come with me on an assignment before, and you're about to start," I countered.   
"Marimo, listen to me," Sanji bit in annoyance.  
"It's the very last thing I have to do for the government, and I'm going to treat it like I have any other assassination, which means you stay out of it," I said. Sanji did not like that. I started to tie my shoes  
"It's not like any other assignment you're working with other people and its success, means your freedom," Sanji was starting to raise his voice.   
"It's an assignment regardless," I muttered.   
"Zoro, something is going to go wrong, I can feel it," Sanji repeated.   
"All the more reason for you to stay here," I said. I finished off and headed outside, Stussy had already texted me informing me she was waiting outside. I left the room without another word.   
"I love you, shit cook, you need to stay safe," I muttered to the closed door.   
I stepped off the elevator and went outside. It was cloudy but there was no snow falling. I got into the passenger seat.   
"You got the gun?" I asked I didn't like using guns. Swords seemed to be the only thing that held any honor when it came to an assassination. They force you, for the most part, to face your enemy.   
"It's in the trunk," Stussy assured. She took us to pick up Law. It was weird being back at Luffy's old house. It seemed so small now compared to when Luffy and I would spend our days there. That almost felt like a different life despite how short it had been. I pushed the feeling away when Law walked out the door. He shook his head to himself and got into the backseat. It wasn't hard to guess that Luffy had wanted to be at the auction house too. I was glad Law didn't let Luffy convince him to let Luffy come with us. Stussy took us to the auction house, which was really an old performance hall. It was the oldest building in town. We went into the abandoned building across the street and talked over plans and so on. Stussy and Law left after Law got a phone call, leaving me alone in the abandoned apartment building. Being here again was weird too. I used to live here. The building had always been abandoned, but by the time I was seventeen I was on my own, my only income, being the check I got from the government for being an assassin. A flat paycheck without any kills in it wasn't enough for an apartment and I couldn't be rooming with people with a profession like that and school. So I lived in this old building until Luffy taught me how to dance.  
Again, that was a long time ago, a different life, and this place seemed small in comparison to now. I walked over to a boarded window I knew had a hole in it. People were heading into the building in groups, all in fancy clothes of various colors. It was a few minutes before I saw Law and Stussy again, though their facial features were difficult to make out, I could tell it was them. They stopped and talked to a blond kid and Joker. Stussy kissed Law's cheek and headed inside. I frowned before remembering the deal Law had with Joker. He must really hate that guy, at least as much as I hate the government. I waited a few minutes longer after Law went around the back of the building. I waited until nearly all of the people had gone inside and went down to Stussy's car. She had left me the keys. I got the gun from the trunk it was a newer model of sniper-rifle, which one exactly I wasn't sure, I left it in its case and carried it across the street with only the darkness to cover me. I went to the gap between the coffee shop and the auction house, it was a small space, just enough room to walk through. There was a ladder there, to the roof of the auction house, I used it to get to the top and found the old ventilation shaft Law had shown me on the blueprint. It was dusty and awful to breathe in, I pulled the collar of the white T-shirt I wore under my dress shirt over my mouth and nose. I made my way through the shaft. I followed the directions Law and Stussy repeatedly drilled into my head, worse than Robin did with dance steps. When I got the right spot, I pried the rusted panel open.   
I dropped down into a thin hallway that was probably used as servant access or something at one point. I found a grate with panels in it just large enough to rest the muzzle on.  
"Perfect," I grinned and set the case down next to it. I went down one end of the hall, it was cemented off. The other end had a creaky door that had a hole at the bottom, beyond that was a stairway. The building was probably too old for anyone to be aware of these halls, so I didn't think anyone was going to be coming through. I went back to the grate and opened the case. I set up the gun, ready to shoot and texted Law. From there it was waiting. I watched Law waltz with Stussy, and I watched him retreat into the bathroom when Sabo found out he was there.  
"Hope you're not in too much trouble, Law," I muttered when he came back out. Stussy and Law danced again, I kept an eye on Joker too. He talked with several different people there. Mostly he stared near a weird clown guy and the kid that had been in the front with him. I could tell Law was trying to avoid him.   
Then there was dinner, which only made my stomach growl. That was put to an end when the sold people at the end of the auction. And as Law had said, there was the presentation. Law was very convincing when trying to sell drugs. What worried me was that kid that had been with Joker. He wasn't in the audience and he wasn't on stage. I watched the bathroom for a little too long with the scope.   
"Where the hell did you go you little shit?" I muttered. I still couldn't find.  
"It doesn't matter as long as I get the job done I guess," I sighed and aimed my scope at Joker. I had to let my eyes adjust for a moment.   
"Clean shot to the head," I whispered, breathing out and letting my finger fall onto the trigger.  
"Lady's and Gentlemen, from the brilliant mind of Joker himself, I present to you, Smiles," Law said. Perfect timing. There was a small creek just as I put pressure on the trigger and a force pushed me onto the ground.   
"What the fuck? I cursed, I pulled a knife I strapped to my ankle. I never go on a mission without a blade. I pinned the force to the floor only to discover the damned kid that had disappeared. It was dark and I couldn't see his face, but that didn't matter. Get rid of him, kill Doflamingo.   
"Eat Shit, Doffy," I heard Law's voice over the speaker, it was faint. Oh fuck, I shot Law!  
"You dumbass," I cursed, I grabbed the kids neck and dragged him to his feet.   
"LAW!" There was Luffy's voice. I knew he'd figure out how to get here, god damn it. I dragged the kid to the stairway and shoved him down it, stupid kid. I took the rusted panel and wedged it in front of the door. I had a job to finish.   
I went back to my gun and readied it to shoot again. Everyone was still frozen, Luffy was the only one moving, he was climbing up to the stage and running to Law's side. Fuck. I aimed the gun at Joker, he was starting to come to his senses again. I aimed at his head and fired without hesitation. I put the gun away and climbed back into the shaft. To the roof, between the building's, and across the street. As planned I was the first one to Stussy's car. All I got to do now was wait. Things changed though.   
I shot Law. He might be dead. Fuck, I hoped he wasn't, I hope I wasn't the one who gave Luffy another scar. I leaned my head against the seat. Fuck. Shit! I hit the dashboard.  
"FUCK!" I yelled. A moment later Stussy got into the car. She pulled a handgun on me.   
"What the happened?" She glared. Did she think I actually shot Law? My best friend's mark?  
"Report or summary?"   
"Report," I told her everything from the moment she and Law left until she got into the car.   
"Evil worm," She muttered. "He did see it, damned it all," She muttered.  
"Is Law okay?"  
"I don't know, the revolutionaries followed Trafalgar's mark on stage and took them."   
"And Joker?"   
"You got him right between the eyebrows, he's dead. I called it in." I pulled out my phone and called Luffy. No answer. Sabo next.   
"Zoro right now's not a good time," Sabo said. I could hear Luffy crying in the background.  
"I know, where are you going?" I asked.   
"The base, you remember where it is?"   
"Yep, I'm sending Sanji there too, he'll probably get there before me," I hung up.  
"Where do you need to go?" Stussy asked.  
"Nowhere you're going." I opened the door.   
"Roronoa I-"   
"You're an assassin for the government, you're not going to the revolutionary base with me. I'll let you know if Law makes it," I got out of the car and closed the door, then called Sanji.   
"Zoro, you better not be hurt," Sanji said, his voice was laced with concern.   
"I'm fine, it's Law, he's hurt, Sabo and Luffy are with him, I'm going to send you an address. Write it down and delete the message, when you get there, burn the paper you wrote the address on."   
"Okay, where are you? I'll come get you."   
"No, I have to make sure Stussy doesn't follow me, it'll be really bad if the government finds out what that place is."  
"Okay, how long will it take you to get there?"   
"I don't know." I turned a corner and looked over my shoulder, Stussy was following me. "Sanji, I don't tell you this enough, but I love you, okay?"   
"I-I love you too," Sanji said.  
"I'll see you soon," I hung up the phone and texted Sanji, then immediately deleted it. I spent at least an hour trying to shake Stussy off my tail. Once I was certain she was gone I took the bus as far as out of town as they went. From there I had a hell of a time finding the trail that led to the place. Even then I wasn't sure if I was in the right spot thanks to all the snow. When I got the place, it was late into the night, I was freezing and my shoes were ruined. I knocked a pattern into the door. There was a moment of silence and another pattern was knocked back. I knocked a third pattern and was let inside.  
"Zoro!" Sanji hugged me as soon as I was inside. His arms were tight around me. I wrapped my arms around him and buried my face into the crook of his neck.  
"I'll leave you two," Ivan said.   
"Zoro, did you shoot Law?" Sanji asked quietly I nodded and Sanji hugged me tighter.   
"I didn't mean to..." I whispered.   
"I know," Sanji said. Sanji pulled away just enough to kiss me. "I know."  
"Is Law okay?"   
"Don't know yet, they took him into a makeshift operating room," Sanji said.   
"Where did-" Sanji brought his hand to my chest, just below my collarbone and towards my shoulder.  
"It wasn't clean, there's no exit wound," he said. _Fuck._  
"Cook, I-" I didn't want to admit it, I hated admitting it. "I'm scared to tell Luffy."   
"Don't worry about telling him right away then, wait until the bullet's out of him first," Sanji said. I nodded. Sanji grabbed my hand and led me to the place Sabo and Luffy were waiting. Luffy was sitting silently, staring at the door and bouncing his leg, he was rubbing his thumb over Law's mark. I kneeled in front of him.   
"You okay?" I asked him. "Physically, I mean." Luffy bit his lip. I could see in his face that he had been crying before. Luffy nodded. He didn't trust himself to speak. The door behind me opened and Luffy jumped to his feet. I got out of his way.   
"You can see him now," Aladine said, the doctor for the Revolutionaries. Aladine opened the door all the way, Luffy hesitated for a moment before walking forward with determination. Luffy went into the room. Aladine followed went back into the room. I sat down in the chair that Luffy had been.   
"Zoro, you were there weren't you?" Sabo asked. I nodded.   
"Why?"  
"To kill Joker," I said. Sabo nodded.   
"Where is he?" That was a woman, with long dark, curly hair, she came running in with Koala. Law's cousin if I remember correctly.   
"In there, Luffy's talking to our doctor right now," Sabo said. The woman went into the doorway and tapped on the door, she disappeared into the room too. Aladine left the room and leaned against the wall next Sabo.   
"That was an operation intended for the worlds best surgeon," He said to Sabo. "Not anything I had business taking on."   
"If were you, or the world's best surgeon, I'd take you any day," Sabo said.   
"Tch, thanks," Aladine said. He patted Sabo's shoulder.   
"I'll stay here until he's ready to leave, call if anything happens."   
"Thanks, Aladine," Sabo said. Aladine went down the hall and into a room a few doors down. It took three days for Law to wake up. 

* * *

**_♤_ ** **_Luffy♡_ **

Law might not want me here but that didn't matter, something wasn't right. Hell, I woke up feeling something about today was just wrong. So of course, I just asked Sabo if I could go with him. Easy. A little while after Torao left, Sabo came to get me. I dressed up all nice like they all were and everything. Since Law didn't want me there I didn't try to look for him. But when the gunshot left my ears ringing and Torao dropped on the stage. I couldn't stay away from him. Everyone was frozen in fear.   
"LAW!" I shouted the fear rose into my throat, it flooded my lungs and took control of me. I ran to the stage, climbing onto it and running to his side. Law was already out cold when I got to him. Another shot rang through the building and my first instinct was to lean over Law and protect him. When Doflamingo dropped on the stage too, I put pressure onto Law's wound, that was the only thing I knew how to do. It was moments before Sabo was right next to me.   
"We have to get out of here right now," Sabo said. I nodded. Koala was there too.  
"C'mon, help me Luffy," Sabo said. He put Law's arm over his shoulders. I did the same with Torao's other arm and we rushed out of there. Sabo didn't want to find out if the attacker had hit their target or not. We got into Sabo's car, I was in the back seat with Law. Still putting pressure on the wound in his chest. He wasn't moving or waking up and it was starting to scare me.   
"Torao, wake up, wake up." My voice cracked and my mark left a cold burning sensation roaring up my whole arm. But it wasn't scarring. My phone started to ring but I didn't care.   
"Traffy, please," I muttered. I ran my fingers through his hair. Laws skin was pale and sweaty. I couldn't keep myself from crying. Sabo was on the phone with someone. I wasn't sure how long it was before the car stopped. Sabo got out and ran inside, moments later he was helping Aladine with a stretcher. They took Law from me and laid him on the stretcher.   
"Koala, someone needs to get Fai," Sabo said before he helped carry Law inside I was right beside them the whole time. Aladine made me wait when he took Law into another room though, he let Sabo help carry Law into the room, but Sabo was kicked out too. He sat with me for a long time at one point I was sure Zoro was in front of me but I don't remember that interaction much. Then Aladine let me in.   
"He's comatose right now, he should wake up in a few days," Aladine explained. Law has all kinds of scary looking tubes on a mask strapped to his face, "The bullet didn't hit and organs but it hit and shattered bone, I got as many fragments as I could out but I could have missed some, it's hard to tell." I nodded and held onto Law's lifeless hand, Aladine talked a bit more about Doctor stuff I didn't really understand before Fai came in. Then he talked to her for a minute before leaving.  
Then it was just me and Fai. She didn't ask what happened or anything like that. She just sat down next to me quietly. It took Law three days to wake up. In those three days, I ate twice, and both times were because Zoro promised to watch Law while I was gone. I still didn't want to leave him. On the third day, I had stayed up the entire night. Fai was asleep in the chair next to me. Torao's eyes opened and he pushed the mask off his face.   
"Luffy," He muttered, looking around the room. My mark started to burn worse than before, the heart monitor started going flat. His heart stopped. My hands started to shake, I opened my mouth to call out for help but no noise left. I got up and ran to the doorway.  
"ALADINE!" I finally shouted Fai started waking up. Sabo was just outside the room.  
"ALADINE!" I screamed again the pain was getting worse. Aladine came running down the hall, Sabo pulled me out of the way. Fai got out of the room too. The pain was unbearable.   
"Torao!" I screamed, hot tears rushing down my face. I couldn't fucking breath. Sabo had his arms around me. I couldn't tell if he was trying to restrain me or hug me.   
" _Law!_ " My voice came out strangled and weak. Sabo hugged me tightly. He was talking but whatever he was saying didn't make any sense. I felt my legs buckle and Sabo was the only thing keeping me from falling. I looked down at my mark, it was scarring. The black was turning into scar tissue.   
" _Torao_ ," I sobbed, nearly choking on my own spit. 


	59. Recovery

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyyy guys, hope you enjoyed that little cliff hanger!! I thought I did quite well carrying that out, anyway here ya go I hope you're satisfied with the outcome ;)) See ya next week <3 ~

**_♡_ ** **_Law♡_ **

I woke up with Luffy's head on my chest, He was sitting in a chair leaning over the bed I was in and on me. From the rise and fall of his breathing, I would guess he was asleep. I let my eyes wander further around the room. Fai was asleep on a chair by the wall. The room was by no means a hospital room. There were mismatching chairs against the wall by the door, one of which Fai sat in. a third that matched neither of the other two, Luffy was in. The room was small and dark, the only window covered with a dark, thick curtain. Through, the curtain, I could see cardboard pressed against the window. I ran my hand through Luffy's hair. He sat up immediately, he might have been asleep, but only out of necessity. He had dark circles under his eyes, he looked like he hadn't slept in days. His eyes started to water as soon as they met mine. I scooted over and shifted onto my side.   
"C'mere," I said pointed to the space next to me. My voice came out hoarse and in need of water. Luffy climbed up on the bed per my request. He laid down with me and I pulled him into a hug. Luffy sobbed in my ear and buried his face into my shoulder, the one that wasn't inflicted with an injury. Though even if he did lean on that shoulder I wouldn't have felt it. Whatever painkillers I was on were definitely working.   
"You asshole, I thought you were going to die," Luffy choked.   
"Why would I do something like that?" I asked, damn, it hurt to talk, I need water. I looked around the room, there was nothing that I could see. Luffy pinched me.  
"Your heart stopped, stupid," Luffy bit. He pulled away to show me his wrist. My mark was scarred around the edges and black in the center. I ran my fingers over it. I didn't remember anything like that. The last thing I remember was the look on Doflamingo's face when I was shot. Luffy had a steady stream of tears flowing now.   
I pulled Luffy back to my chest he wrapped his arms around me and cried into my shirt.   
Luffy stopped crying only when sleep overcame him. He slept peacefully in my arms, snoring quietly.   
"You're awake," Fai said stretching her arms above her head.   
"Yeah," my voice was just as hoarse as before.   
"You sound like shit, you want some water?" She asked. I nodded. Fai reached beneath her chair. I shifted, partially sitting up, just enough so I could drink from the bottle Fai gave me. I chugged the entire thing.   
"How long was I unconscious?" I asked, setting the empty bottle on the table next to the bed.   
"Two and a half days at first. You were awake long enough to call for Luffy, then your heart stopped, that was yesterday." I nodded.   
"I see you got Luffy to sleep."   
"Yeah, he hasn't slept much, has he?" I ran my fingers through his hair.   
"Can you blame him?" Fai asked. Point taken. But it was all over now, I can go back to my life, working at the hospital, seeing Luffy every chance I can get. I preferred that much more. Wait...did we actually get Doflamingo? Was I the only one shot?  
"Fai is Is Doflamingo dead?"  
"I don't know," she said. I couldn't sit still anymore, I stayed put for Luffy.   
"Is Zoro-ya or Stussy here?" I asked. Where were we?  
"Zoro is and Sanji, Sabo, and Koala are around too."   
"Where are we?"  
"A Revolutionary base outside of town, Koala and Sabo brought you here from the auction house," Fai said. "Do you want me to get one of them?"   
"Yeah, Zoro-ya," I said. Fai stood and left the room. Zoro will be the only one that knows more than I do about what happened at the auction. Zoro came into the room a few minutes later, alone.   
"How're you doing?" He asked, leaning against the door frame, he cast his eyes toward the ground. That was very unlike him, he was ashamed of something. Probably me getting shot. But what the hell did I know?   
"I've been better," I said. I shifted and sat up, careful not to wake Luffy up. "Is Doflamingo dead?"  
"Yeah, It wasn't as smooth as we had planned but he's dead," Zoro assured. I started to laugh, a chuckle at first. Fuck I was free. It was so fucking easy, then again I wasn't the one to pull the trigger so who was I to talk? I could have done it at any point. How many times had I been alone with him? What the hell had stopped me?  
"Zoro, thank you," I said after I had gain control of myself.   
"You're not the only one that gained freedom from this plan," he said. I guess that was true. "You shouldn't be thanking me, I put that bullet in your shoulder."  
"How did that happen anyway?"  
"The kid that was with Joker found another way into the hall I was in. he shoved me at the last minute."  
"Piece of shit," I muttered. He had seen Zoro's text, that was the only way he could have known.   
"I still can't think of a way he knew," Zoro muttered.  
"That was my own carelessness. I helped set up the display for the presentation and I left my phone in the room we had, he was there, he must have seen the first text you sent." Zoro pressed his lips together, whatever he was thinking he didn't say. Probably something along the lines of me being a complete and utter moron.   
"What did you do to him?"   
"He was just a kid, I shoved him down the stairs without thinking," Zoro said. I nodded.   
"Once you start working for Joker, you're not a kid anymore. He was loyal to Joker he'll be coming after me." I said. Luffy started to move around, pulling the blankets around him.   
"And not me?"   
"If he knows who you are, maybe. But Stussy and I are probably going to have to deal with him. I don't expect it to be for a while, he'll be busy figuring out how to run a black market business."  
"Is that a problem?"   
"Maybe for the government, but I couldn't care less," I admitted. Zoro nodded.   
"How's Luffy been doing the past few days?"   
"Not too good, he's hardly slept or eaten, he's been by your side since you got here," Zoro said. "You should get some rest." Zoro left the room, leaving me to my own devices. Luffy slept for a really long time, Fai came back into the room, Koala came to see me, though I'm sure she was mostly checking on Luffy. Sanji came back with Zoro too, all while Luffy slept, I was also granted with the sweet release of painkillers once more from a man named Aladine. Who informed me of my injury and the situation concerning my hear stoping. which had been, in short, from rapid blood loss. It wasn't until the end of the day that Sabo came to see me. At least I think it was the end of the day. He leaned against the door frame and crossed his arms over his chest.  
"That was your plan all along wasn't it? To kill Joker," Sabo asked.   
"Yeah," I said. Sabo nodded and looked down at the ground for a moment.   
"You didn't tell me 'cause you thought that I'd stop you." He put his hands in his pockets and took a few steps towards me.   
"Sounds right," I muttered.  
"That's good, 'cause I would have stopped you, I needed him alive for reasons that aren't my own," Sabo said to the ground." You were never worried about killing Koala, huh?"   
"I was when he first ordered me to," I admitted. Sabo nodded.  
"Thank you for looking out for Luffy....and Koala." He left without another word. I only hoped that meant we were on good terms again.   
Luffy woke up a few hours later. The moment he woke up he pressed his palm to my chest, just over my heart.  
"Find what you're looking for?" Luffy shook his head and pulled his hand away.   
"You really scared me," Luffy muttered.   
"I'm sorry, Love," I kissed Luffy's forehead. Luffy looked up and caught my lips in his. His lips were needy, almost desperate. I bit on his lower lip and Luffy opened his mouth for me. I pulled way only after my shoulder ached and throbbed.  
"Let me see your hand." Luffy did as I asked, I folded his thumb, ring finger, and pinky down. I brought his first and middle finger to my neck.   
"You feel that?" I asked.   
"Yeah," Luffy said.  
"That's my carotid artery, what you're feeling is my pulse, my heartbeat," I explained. I took my hand from Luffy's.   
"Hey, Torao, I think you're still alive," Luffy said with a small smile.   
"You don't say?" I asked. Luffy smiled and kissed me softly.   
"Lu, would you consider moving in with me if I asked?" I asked, after ending our kiss. I know it wouldn't change much if he did, he'd still be gone just as much, but the thought of sharing a home with him was just...nice.  
"Are you asking?"  
"Maybe," I muttered.   
"And if I said yes?" Luffy grinned  
"Are you saying yes?" I asked.  
"Mayy-be," Luffy said, drawing out the word, his grin getting even bigger.   
"What will it take to make that 'maybe' a 'definitely?'"   
"Actually asking me."  
"Monkey D. Luffy, will you move in with me?" I asked Luffy smiled even more.   
"Shishishi, definitely!" Luffy kissed me. "I love you."  
"I love you too," I said with yet another kiss. Luffy and I laid there in each other's arms, in silence for a long time. No one came to bother us, not even Fai.   
"Hey there," Sanji said. "Me and Zoro are going to be leaving soon, see you on the first."  
"See you guys," Luffy smiled.  
"Make sure Luffy eats something, Law," Zoro added.   
"I think I can manage that," I waved as they left the room.   
Not too much later the doctor who pulled the bullet out of me came in. Aladine checked my vitals and so on. He kindly informed me that he couldn't stop me from leaving, so after I thanked him, I went back to Sabo and Koala's home with Luffy and Fai.   
It was almost as if none of it had ever happened. Except Luffy was constantly hovering it was annoying. But he was just worried about me and that's about the only thing that kept me from snapping at him when he got irritating. Other than that the day leading up to new years was slow.   
I woke up with a headache that could only be caused by a hangover. New Years had been last night and that meant drinking and partying. Specifically, a party with Sabo and Koala's friends. It had been chaotic and the five of us didn't get back until almost 3 AM. It didn't help that I had insistent, throbbing pain in my shoulder where I had been shot. Luffy groaned a familiar noise that I had only heard one other time. He lifted his head from my chest, only to move to my shoulder (the one without a hole in it.) Weren't hangovers just great? I had a vague recollection from the previous night, the most eminent being, kissing Luffy at midnight. In front of at least fifty people. Most of them were probably too busy to pay attention to us though. At least I hoped that was the case.   
"Head hurts," Luffy muttered far too close to my ear.   
"It's called a hangover," I muttered back.   
"Right," he mumbled. God, I'm flying back to Flevance today. There wasn't enough coffee on the planet to get me through this shit.   
"Good morning boys," Koala announced, flicking on the bedroom light as she came into Luffy's room.   
"Why?" I muttered, squeezing my eyes shut at the throbbing pain between my temples. Luffy mumbled a string of curses that only met my ears. I pulled the covers over my face.   
"C'mon, there's stuff to do today and Luffy's flight leaves at one, besides, Sabo made his cure for hangovers.   
"Those don't work, I could give you a list of medical reasons if my head didn't hurt so much," I mumbled.   
"Whatever you say, Mr. Doctor, get up and get your asses into the kitchen." Luffy was the first to move, he pulled himself off of me and made his way to the door with his head down. I sighed and got up too.   
In the kitchen, Sabo had three cups of coffee at the table. Black as my soul. Fai was sitting at the table with her head down. Sabo and Koala had, in fact, been drinking last night, just as much as the rest of us, however, both of them were bright a chipper which was just annoying.   
"Hurry up and drink that coffee," Sabo said. I didn't need to even be told once.   
The coffee was fucking room temperature.   
"What the fuck, why?"   
"Room temperature coffee plus this stuff, hot, or iced is the cure to any hangover."   
"Uh, huh, can I have some water instead 'cause that looks vile," I asked.   
"Nope, drink your coffee," Sabo said. I accepted my fate and silently took a drink from the coffee while Sabo went to work with his murky green concoction.   
"What were you guys drinking?"   
"Whatever the hell was in the giant shoe," Fai said. Someone had decorated a keg as a bright pink high heel. Whatever was in the keg, was not just beer, it was some sort of mixed drink someone had poured into it.   
"Yikes," Sabo muttered.   
"Ivankov brought that, they like to mix every alcohol there is," Koala said. "Vodka, whiskey, beer, Champaign, probably some wine too." I made a mental note to write an apology letter to my liver.   
"Hot it is," Sabo muttered, pouring the green goop into mugs. He set all three in the microwave. After a minute, the microwave dinged.   
"You have to chug it," Koala said. I glanced at Fai.   
"What's in it?"   
"Monster, red bull, seven up, bananas, dry milk, and a secret ingredient,"   
"Oh my god," I muttered. Sabo set a mug in front of each of us. Luffy silently started to chug the drink without complaint.   
"If this kills me, avenge me," I told Fai before doing as Luffy had.   
I nearly choked on it. The taste wasn't even the worst of it, the texture of the thing was absolutely revolting.   
"Never bring that anywhere near me again," I decided as I set the empty mug down. Fai seemed to be having a worse time than me drinking the whatever-the-fuck-that-was. When she finished, she promptly got up and ran to the bathroom.   
Fai didn't drink very much coffee, hell, I don't even remember the last time I saw her finish an energy drink by herself.   
My headache was gone, replaced by an unsettling feeling in my stomach. There was a knock at the door.   
"Pizza's here," Koala hummed, going to the door.   
"Pizza?" I questioned.   
"Breakfast pizza, there's cereal if you'd rather have that, or if you ask nicely I'll make you some eggs and bacon," Sabo offered.   
"Bacon?" Luffy questioned.   
"Not for you," Sabo said.   
"I think I'll take the cereal."  
"Suit yourself," Sabo shrugged as Koala set the pizzas on the table. I got up and made myself a bowl of frosted flakes, seeing as that was the least sugary cereal in the pantry. I was really starting to miss my own selection at home.   
"Lu, do you wanna go see Ace right before I drop you off or do you want to come back before you leave," Sabo asked.   
"Today is his birthday," Koala whispered to me.   
"I wanna come back before I leave," Luffy said with his mouth full.   
"Kay, you better make sure you're ready to go soon then, it's already going to be ten and it's a long drive," Sabo said.   
"Shit, okay," Luffy jumped up from his seat, grabbed another slice of pizza and headed to his room. I didn't worry about packing, I had done all that before we went to the party last night. The only thing I had to do was change and put my phone charger away. I finished my cereal and rinsed my bowl to do just that. Luffy was frantically shoving clothes into his bag, he had put all his old pictures into the album I had got him and was cramming that into the netted lining while I changed.   
"Ne, Torao," Luffy said as he attempted to get his suitcase to close.   
"Hm?" I asked as I effortlessly closed my travel bag.   
"I want you to come with me and Sabo when we go visit Ace," he said, looking at me over his shoulder. "You don't have to, but I really want you to."   
"You sure?" I asked. Luffy nodded.   
"Okay, if that's what you want,"   
"Really?" Luffy smiled really big.   
"I don't see why not," I said.   
"Thank you!" Luffy jumped to his feet and pulled me into a rib-cracking hug.   
"Okay, okay," it was difficult to breathe.   
"You're the best!" Luffy kissed me forcefully. I wrapped my arm around him, partially because I wanted him closer, but also because I was sure Luffy was going to knock us over. I pulled away.   
"Well, if it's this important to you I don't really have a choice," I said. Luffy kissed my cheek  
"I love you!" He declared. Luffy let go of me and ran out of the room, leaving his suitcase only half closed. I finished closing it up for him, which was a major pain in the ass. If he folded his damned clothes instead of shoving them into the suitcase, it wouldn't be so bad. I set both our suitcases by the bedroom door. I headed back into the kitchen, evidently, Koala was at the table with Fai trying to coax her into downing Sabo's hangover cure. Fai was not having it.   
"I'll take Ibuprofen and just sleep of the plane, Koala," Fai explained.   
"If you insist, " Koala yielded. At the same time, Sabo was talking to Luffy by the sink, Sabo was cleaning up the mess that came from his awful drink.   
"Are you absolutely sure about that?" Sabo asked, his brows furrowed and concern engraved in his features.   
"I wouldn't have asked if I wasn't," Luffy insisted.   
"If you're that set on it, I'm not going to stop you," Sabo said with a sigh. It wasn't hard to guess they were talking about me going with them to see Ace.   
"Good," Luffy said.   
"Hey, Lu," Sabo's voice had gone from serious to playful. He had the faucet spray handle aimed towards Luffy. This will be fun. Luffy looked at Sabo just as Sabo sprayed him with water. Luffy stood there, stunned for a second. I was given no choice but to suppress my laughter. Luffy picked up the blender, full of dirty water, and splashed it on Sabo, drenching his pajamas.  
"You little shit," Sabo said in shock That promoted laughter I couldn't suppress. "You want some to Trafalgar?" Koala sighed an put her face in her hand.  
"Do you want them?" She asked Fai, gesturing to the brothers creating a mess in the kitchen.   
"I'd prefer to not unpack my suitcase right now, so no," I said. Sabo took the spray handle and unleashed water, unyielding, on Luffy. Luffy attempted to dodge out of the way, only to slip, and slide feet first, into the fridge.   
"You okay, Love?" I asked through my laughter at their idiocy.   
"Ugh, yeah," Luffy grumbled, rubbing the arm he had landed on. Sabo sprayed him with water one last time.   
"Go change so we can leave," Sabo said. Luffy, like the mature adult he was, stuck his tongue out at Sabo and pulled himself up. Luffy headed back to his room.  
"You'd better be the one cleaning that up," Koala said.   
"I will," Sabo said, he went over to Koala and kissed her before going to his own room.   
"Any plans for when you guys get back to Flevance?" Koala asked.   
"I'm going to see if I can get Law to stop working for ten seconds without Luffy being there."  
"I don't work that much," I muttered.  
"Law, the week before we left you worked from 7 AM to well past midnight the entire week," Fai countered.  
"Oh, Law that can't be healthy," Koala commented.   
"I planned on being gone for more than a week, and I'm the head of my department, I can't just leave without making sure everything won't fall apart," I argued.   
"Oh c'mon, Luffy told me you've been working from here."  
"Paperwork that I have to do and that was only twice."  
"Anyway, Law's a workaholic and only takes days off when Luffy's around, and never spends time with me unless he's forced to," Fai said to Koala.   
"Shame on you," Koala scolded. Fai stuck her tongue out at me.   
"Alright, Law, you ready to go?" Sabo said, with Luffy right behind him.  
"Yeah," I said, standing to get my coat and shoes while Sabo did the same, Luffy, well, I'm not giving him my jacket. The three of us got into the car, I ended up in the back seat, which was no surprise. The drive was a little shorter than the one we had taken to Mt. Colubo. We drove into a town called Windmill Village, and it really was a village. I could recognize a small port town when I saw it, we drove through town to a cemetery at the top of a hill. The view from the cemetery was beautiful. The town below could be seen, along with the small port and the ocean beyond that. Sabo pulled to a stop on the side of the wide road that went through the cemetery. Luffy jumped out of the car immediately. I moved to get out too.  
"Hang on a second," Sabo said quietly, I did. Luffy made his way through the field of graves and stopped at a headstone. He brushed the snow off the top of it and started talking. 


	60. Normal

_**♡** _ _**Luffy♡** _

The snow crunched as I walked, there were footsteps that lead up to Ace's grave. There were flowers at his gravestone, they were red and blue. Marco had been here. I smiled at that.   
"Marco came to visit you, huh?" I said. Of course, I didn't expect the gravestone to reply.  
"Marco always gets the coolest flowers for you." I heard Sabo's car pull away, he always did that, let me talk to Ace alone while he got flowers.   
"I got another mark, he's really cool. He likes to act all tough but he's a softy. He's different though than all the other marks I've had...he just, feels different. It's weird." I stuffed my hands into my pockets. "I asked him to come with me and Sabo today, he's probably with Sabo getting flowers for you right now. They get along pretty well, at least Torao hasn't told me about Sabo threatening him. His name is Law, I call him Torao.  
"He's a doctor, he's really smart, smarter than Sabo, He almost died the other day, and it was terrifying. But... I think I figured something out when it happened, it doesn't make much sense. I always thought that it was unfair to you that I love someone else the same way I love you, and unfair to them. Maybe that's why Torao is different. He just, he doesn't care that I still love you, or Coby, Kidd, and Shirahoshi. That's not quite right, though, the not caring part, it's confusing. The thing is, I'm happy with Torao, and that's what matters." I paused "I'm really happy with him..." I murmured. I stood there silently for a little while, listening to the silence of snow.   
"Marco probably told you this... but we signed with the Pirate's not too long ago. We're gunna perform at the festival in Saboady. Remember we talked about going there together?" I heard Sabo's car pull up on the road.   
"Oh, Sabo's coming back," I said, looking at the road where Sabo and Law were already getting out of the car.   
"You're gunna get to meet Torao," I said. "I think you guy would have been friends if things were different."  
"Marco was here?" Sabo asked. Law wrapped his arm around me and kissed my temple.   
"Looks like it," I said. Sabo passed me the flowers he had gotten for Ace. I set them next to the flowers Marco had left.   
"You won't believe some of the shit Luffy's gotten into the past few months," Sabo said. "First off, back in May..." Sabo went on and on about the stuff that we had done since my birthday. We visited Ace at least three times a year, his birthday, my birthday, and Sabo's. We stayed there for a while to talk to Ace. It was pointless. Both of us knew he wasn't going to respond, and he obviously wasn't listening. But it helped. Especially in the first year.   
"See you later Ace," Sabo said and started head back to the car. I kissed my fingertips and pressed them to the top of his gravestone.  
"Love you," I said, following Sabo back to the car with Law walking next to me. We headed into town for lunch.   
"Luffy, Sabo!" Makino said the moment we walked into the place. She dropped what she was doing and came over to us, pulling us both into a hug. "Gyoru! I'm taking my lunch!" She yelled at the other waiter. Makino lead me and Sabo to a table, Torao had to answer his phone, something for work, so he promised to catch up in a few minutes.  
"Awe, you don't have to do that," Sabo said.  
"I'd do anything for you boys, just give me a few minutes and I'll get some plates for us and I'll have lunch with you," Makino promise.   
"Make sure to get four, we brought someone else with us," I added.  
"And what does this mystery person like?" Makino put her hands on her hips.   
"Rice balls," I said.   
"That, I can do," She said with a smile before heading to the kitchen. We waited for a little while, Torao came back in, he sat in the booth next to me. Makino came back quickly with plates and hot cocoa.   
"Hello there mystery person, " Makino took off her apron and sat down next to Sabo.   
"Makino, this is Law, he's Luffy's boyfriend," Sabo said, I was too busy with my mouth full to talk. Makino stuck her hand out in front of her.  
"Well, it's nice to meet you," Makino said, Law shook her hand. "I've known these two since they were kids, Luffy since he was a baby. I've got a few pictures so next time you're around her I'll be glad to show you." Sabo nearly choked laughing.  
"You have pictures of me?"   
"Of course I do, keep laughing Sabo, I have pictures of you too," Makino added. "I don't think I've shown Koala any of those." Sabo calmed down real quick.   
"Since when?" He asked.  
"Yeah, I don't ever remember you taking pictures of us!" I said.   
"Dadan has pictures too, just so you know," Makino added, taking a bite of her food.  
"I don't believe you," Sabo decided.  
"What do you say Law?"  
"I'll definitely keep in mind for the next time I'm here," he said.  
"Good, I've some cute ones too," Makino said. Then she asked us about what we had been up to, how our Christmas was and all that. When lunch was over, we went back to Logue Town, only there long enough to get our stuff and Fai and say bye to Koala. Sabo drove us to the airport. My flight was at one, Fai's and Torao's was at 1:15. Law got out of the car to get all the suitcases out of the trunk.   
"Luffy," Sabo said, just as I was about to get out of the car. He sounded serious.  
"What's up?" I asked, turning to face him. Sabo chewed on the inside of his cheek, he did that a lot when he was nervous or excited about something. He nearly chewed off the inside of his cheek before his first date with Koala. "Sabo?"  
"Koala's pregnant," he said.   
"Really?! Wait, but she was drinking last night, Robin said-"  
"She wasn't Lu," Sabo interrupted. "You didn't see me make her my drink this morning did you?" That's true, I just thought he made it for her first since she had woken us up.   
"I'm gunna be an uncle?"  
"Yeah," Sabo smiled.  
"Holy shit, you're gunna be a dad!"   
"Yeah," Sabo repeat with a small laugh.   
"You want to be a dad, right?"   
"What kind of question is that?" Sabo asked. "Of course I do!" I started to laugh at Sabo's reaction, he was so shocked, it was hilarious.   
"Is it a boy or a girl? It doesn't matter, I'm gunna be the coolest uncle ever!"   
"Okay, but really Lu, we either have to find a bigger place to live, or you're going to have to get your ass out of my house. It's really up to you, either way, in the next couple months you're going to need to pack your stuff."  
"Oh! That's perfect! Torao asked me to move in with him the other day," I recalled.  
"You wait 'til now to say that?" Sabo asked.   
"I was worried about Torao, I forgot," I said.   
"Still!" Sabo punched my arm. "He's stealing my baby brother away."  
"I'm not a baby," I insisted.   
"You're my baby brother regardless," Sabo said. "You'd better get going, Fai and Law are waiting."  
"Shishishi, yep," I said. I hugged Sabo. "You're going to be a great dad, y'know."   
"Thanks, Lu," Sabo said. I got out of the car and caught up with Torao and Fai.   
"What took so long?" Fai asked as we went through the automatic doors. warm air blew into my face.   
"Sabo was telling me that he's gunna be a dad," I said. We headed for the places to get our stuff checked, all the things that made it so we had to be hours early to catch our flights.   
"You didn't know?" Fai asked in surprise as we got in line to get out passports checked.   
"Nope," I shook my head.   
"You did?" Law asked.  
"Koala told me," Fai stuck her tongue out at Law.   
"Guess that's perfect than huh?" Law asked, grabbing my hand.  
"Shishi, yep!" We were next in line.  
"What do you mean?" Fai asked.   
"Luffy-ya is going to move in with us," Law said. I stepped up to the desk and gave the lady all my ID stuff and my ticket.  
"When?" Fai asked.   
"Within the next month or two," I said as the lady gave me back my stuff, and the boarding pass. Torao and Fai went next since they were on the same flight, it made sense. We took our stuff to the luggage check it.   
"Wow, Law, you gunna let Luffy decorate your room?" Fai asked with a laugh.  
"Hell no," Law muttered.   
"What? Not even one poster? That's not fair! You're mean." I protested.   
"You can have one framed poster and as many pictures as you want so long as they're framed," Law said. "I'd rather not have three different posters of Tom Holland staring at me or an animated dragon."  
"Traffy, Toothless is awesome," I said.   
"You're not going to cover my bedroom from floor to ceiling in posters."   
"Oh, fine, can I least put a few in the living room?"   
"Two, and one in the kitchen, if they're framed."   
"I'll take what I can get, but you're still mean," I huffed. We split up for a little bit to check our bags into the right flights. That always took super long, that, and going through the metal detector, which we also had to do apart. Some places were worse than others, like here, only passengers could go past the ID check, but in Flevance they let Torao go right to the gate. Well, when that was all over I still had to wait for twenty minutes for my flight. But it was with Torao and Fai, so it was fine. And it didn't feel like twenty minutes.   
"Text me when you land," Law said.  
"Duh, you too, then I'll call you," I stood on my toes and kissed him.   
"I like that plan," Law said. "I'll see you soon, Love."  
"See you," I smiled and kissed him again. If it weren't for the fact we were in public our kiss would have lasted much longer.   
"Bye Luffy," Fai said.   
"See ya," I waved and went off to my gate.  
I landed hours later, though, the time there was 1:56 PM when I landed so I still had a full day ahead of me. It's a good thing I passed out on the plane. I texted Torao right away. I was the first to get back, so that meant that I had to rent a car and check into our hotel. While I was checking in, Usopp texted our group hat to say he was here. I took my stuff to my room, we had a suite, which wasn't out of the blue, but we were reserving suites a lot more often, I liked those better we weren't all separated that way. Movie nights were way more fun too. I went to pick Usopp and Chopper up from the airport. Then the two of us picked up Sanji and Zoro. Brook landed that day too. We were the only ones landing today. I welcomed the sleep that night. The next day, the first to land were Robin and Franky, and Robin made us practice the choreography for the summer show, everything we had learned up until we all left. And she wasn't nice just because none of us had practiced in the past week. Nami and Jimbei arrived later in the afternoon, they were forced to practice with us too. The next day we split into groups to dance again, Sanji opened his food stand and Usopp and Franky were trying to sell inventions again. I missed dancing while I was home.   
"Okay, breakfast quickly, because you're all lazy bums and we have a meeting in thirty minutes," Nami said as Sanji set out plates for us. Chaos broke, I was the first to the counter, piling my plate with as much food as I could get.   
"You took all the sausage!" Usopp complained, taking some off my plate.  
"Not my fault you're slow," I argued, protecting my plate.   
"Luffy! Watch it," Zoro grumbled. I pushed Usopp away and snagged some eggs when my plate was too full to hold anything else. I found a place to sit and dug into my food. By the time I cleared my plate, there was no food left. I wasn't even full.   
"Sanji, I'm still hungry," I said.   
"That's 'cause your stomach hasn't processed the fact that you've eaten yet, hang tight a few more minutes and if you're still hungry, I'll make you something to go," Saji said with his back to me. He set a big pan to dry and started on the pile of plates that had accumulated.   
"But Sanji-"  
"I'll make you something when I'm done cleaning this up," Sanji bit in annoyance.   
"Sanji-"  
"Luffy." I stuck out my bottom lip and rested my chin on the cleared off counter. Zoro came over with a clean plate and walked up to Sanji, wrapping his arm around him. He set the plate on top of Sanji's pile.  
"You got to eat, right?" Zoro asked.   
"I always eat before I start cooking, you know that," Sanji said.   
"Hey, I'm just making sure, do you want any help?"   
"No, thanks though," Sanji replied. I tilted my head so my cheek was pressed to the counter and watched as Zoro walked away. Eventually, everyone started to pile their plates near Sanji as he did the dished with a couple offers to help, and many thanks. Which only meant I had to wait longer. Sanji did manage to finish though, with enough time to make me a cold sandwich.   
"You're amazing Sanji!" I said when he set a plate in front of me.   
"You're welcome, hurry up and eat, it looks like Nami is ready to go," Sanji said. I nodded and didn't take any time in eating, by the time Nami was ushering everyone out Sanji had cleaned my plate and we went to flood outside like everyone else. Then we went to see Marco, to finalize the stuff for our merch. It was a long and boring meeting I didn't want to be at. Not even a little. There wasn't much else than the usual that we did, dancing, running into fans, and all the cool and fun stuff. Plus extra practice. When we left for another town, I flew back to Sabo's and he and Koala helped me pack. I stayed until I got everything in boxes, which took a couple of days. and just those couple days was hard to get out of Nami, so I sent the boxes to Torao's and Sabo helped me do all the stuff to change my address and flew back to my friends.   
I landed in really early in the morning and I didn't want to wake Nami or the others up. So I didn't bother calling. I had the address of the hotel somewhere on my phone, so with the help of Google, it'd be easy. I went to get my bag when someone else grabbed it.   
"Hey, that's my bag!" I said. The kid stopped and looked down at the bag, he checked the nametag on it.   
"Oh, shit! Sorry, it looks just like mine," the kid said turning to me. It was that guy from Mingo's. Dallen? Digger? I don't remember, but I'm pretty sure he punched me at one point.   
No, that's not right, he must have kicked me. He looked a little different, more tired, less spiteful.   
"That's fine," I said. The blonde guy set the suitcase to stand and let me take it. "Look, that must be yours." Another red suitcase crept towards us.   
"Oh yeah," he said, going up to the belt to meet his bag.   
I went on my way, it was starting to rain outside, just sprinkling right now. It was far to warm here to snow. I found the address, Nami had sent me and copied it into Google and let it lead the way to the hotel.   
It was about a twenty-minute walk from the airport. The lobby was empty and the desk was dark when I came in. I went up to the elevator and realized something.  
I didn't know the room number and I didn't have a key either. Damn, the whole point of me walking was so I didn't wake anyone up. Who would be up right now? Sanji maybe. I decided to call him, at least if his phone rang, Zoro wasn't likely to wake up from it.   
"Hey, you back already?" Sanji answered.   
"Yeah, I'm in the lobby, what's the room number? Can you open the door for me too?"  
"Sure, it's 409, who gave you a ride?"  
"I walked." I pressed the elevator button, it opened up right away and I went up to the fourth floor.   
"Dumbass, it's raining."   
"I didn't wanna wake anyone up, besides, this rain is nothing compared to Logue Town."  
"Alright, you want anything to eat?" I could hear Sanji shift the phone.   
"Yes!"  
"Thought so, see ya," Sanji said.  
"Yep," I hung up the phone, I was on the second floor, now the third. Finally, the fourth. I got out and started heading down the hall, watching the room numbers. I found the room and opened the door, greeted by the amazing smell of Sanji's cooking.   
"Welcome back," Sanji said. I sat down at the bar/island/counter thing. Sanji was clearly well into preparing the meal, though it looked like it was still going to be a while before food was done. Ugh, it's been forever before I could eat. Sanji surprised me by setting some eggs in front of me. The plate wasn't even full.  
"That's all you get, for now, the rest will be done in an hour or so," Sanji said.  
"Thanks!" I happily dug in.  
After Breakfast, everyone got ready to go. Robin, Brook, Zoro and I went to the town square to dance. Brook was playing a keyboard this time around, then his guitar. It was a combination he started with Robin and Zoro when they landed here. The choreo for this set didn't include any flips, but it was still fun and cool. The crowd liked it too.   
We danced through the morning and into the afternoon. We finished our last show, for now, we were gunna take a break for a few hours and go see the town.   
"Wow, you really are good at this, I'm glad Vergo didn't ruin your foot," it was that guy from the airport. The crowd we had drawn dropped money into Brooks guitar case and dispersed, going on with their day.   
"What?" Zoro asked.  
"Me too," I replied.   
"I've got to get going, see you 'round, Strawhat," He said.  
"Who was that?" Robin asked.  
"One of that Mingo guy's friends, I forgot his name." Zoro squinted, watching the guy go, he tilted his head a little, he does that when he's thinking. We cleaned up and went off, there were a few other street performers, none of them were dancing which was good for us. We had fun goofing around in shops I found a cool looking book that I thought Torao might like so I bought it for him and sent it to him. We got Lunch from Sanji and took food to the others, we watched Nami and Jimbei dance for a little bit too, they were really good and drew some attention having Chopper too. We headed back to our spot and danced some more before going back to the hotel room.  
The next day I ran into the guy again, this time it was at a coffee shop Robin wanted to go to. We were having a break day and everyone was busy doing things, Zoro and Sanji were out on a date, Brook was cleaning and tuning his instruments, Nami and Jimbei were managing our social media stuff, and Usopp and Franky were finetuning a weird robot thing. Robin asked me to go with her and I did.   
She had gone to use the bathroom when the guy walked in. The place was busy and noisy. I watched curiously as he got in line and ordered a drink. When he was done, he looked around, before he saw me. He came over to the table I was sitting at, the table was small and round, and by the window, only big enough for three.   
"Can I sit here 'til my drink is done? There's nowhere else to sit," he asked.   
"Sure," I said, pulling out my phone since it vibrated in my pocket. Torao texted me!   
"How come you're being nice to me?" He asked, sounding confused. I finished texting Law back before responding.   
"What do you mean?" I asked.  
"I was more than a total dick to you, hell, I helped put you in a cage, and you're treating me like an acquaintance," he pointed out.   
"Well, that was a long time ago, and you're not being a dick now, so why does it matter?" I said. He opened his mouth and closed it again. Torao texted back.   
"You-" he started to say but changed his mind.   
"As long as you're not selling people like Mingo was I don't really care," I said honestly.  
"That's what I'm doing here, trying to get out of it, but people are stingy assholes," he admitted. I took a drink of my Italian soda.   
"That's good, maybe we can be friends then," I said, not really paying attention though. I was too busy texting my boyfriend.   
"Wha-" he sounded even more confused. I glanced up at him. His brows were furrowed and he was frowning.  
"What you don't wanna?" I asked.   
"It's just, why would _you_ want to be my friend?" He asked. Torao texted yet again and Robin came back from the bathroom.  
"Who's this?" Robin asked.   
"I'm Dellinger," he said. Oh, that's his name.   
"I'm Robin, it's nice to meet you," she smiled and sat down across from me. "Are you a friend of Luffy's?" Dellinger looked up at me.  
"Sort of," he muttered. I smiled at my phone. and continued to text Law.   
"Luffy, are you talking to Law?" Robin asked with a small smile.   
"Oh, yeah," I said, looking up at her, my phone vibrated yet again. Dellinger frowned and looked down at the table. "I was telling him about the book I got for him."  
"And what did he say?" Robin asked.   
"He said he wanted to order it but hadn't gotten around to it yet, so he was happy that I bought it," I said.   
"Oh, good."  
"Dellinger," a barista said from behind the counter.   
"See ya, Strawhat," Dellinger got up and went to get his drink before leaving the shop.   
"Back at'cha." Robin and I stayed there a little while longer to finish our drinks before going back to the hotel.  
"Don't you dare! You little shit!" Sanji shouted as we walked inside.   
"Sanji, don't throw your shoe at Chopper!" Usopp shouted. Sanji was standing near the couch, shoe in hand, with Usopp clinging to his arm. Chopper was sniffing at cotton candy that was in a bag on the counter.  
"Oh," Robin hummed, making her way to the couch.   
"He's not a puppy any more he knows better than to take food off the counter," Sanji snapped. Chopper started to lick the bag. Sanji shoved Usopp off him and into the couch before throwing his shoe at Chopper. It hit Choppers side, he yelped and came running towards me. While Sanji went after him.   
"Don't hide you little shit, I would have given you some if you would have been patient," Sanji yelled.   
"Awe, c'mon Sanji, cut him some slack, he's still learning," I said. Chopper wedged himself between my legs.  
"He knows damned well not to even get on the counter."  
"You did leave his favorite sweet unattended, Sanji, don't throw your shoe, or anything else at Chopper again," Robin said. Sanji huffed and walked away.   
"Chopper, let's go for a walk," Usopp said. Chopper wagged his tail and bounded his way to the door. I headed to my room, Zoro was sulking, and staring at the TV but it was obvious he wasn't really watching it.   
"Watchya doin'?"   
"Thinking," he muttered.   
"What about? You look grumpy," I plopped onto his bed next to him. Torao was still texting me, but he could wait a little bit.   
"Last year," he said.   
"Last year was long, what part of it?" I stretched out on the mattress, messing up the nicely made bed.   
"When we split up in November," He sounded solemn.  
"Huh, technically it was the year before last," I pointed out.   
"Hardly," Zoro scoffed.   
"What about splitting up?" Zoro hesitated before answering.   
"Kid."  
"Oh." I thoughtlessly rubbed the marks on my wrist. Six. Having six marks was so absurd. No one had six marks. "How come?" Zoro shrugged and leaned back, letting himself fall onto the mattress next to me.   
"No reason, I guess," he sighed and locked his fingers behind his head. I searched the sheets for my phone and found it. I responded to Law before dropping it again.


	61. Incidents

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope this doesn't feel too random, I tried to set it up (kinda) in the last chapter...

**_1 1/2 Years Ago_ **

**_ PART ONE   
_ **

**_《_ ** **_Zoro_ ** **_》_ **

I stared at the list on my phone. An assignment. This was entirely meant to rub my nose in actual shit. Eustass Kidd. Just fucking great. Sure, he had warned Luffy from the start that he was into some pretty illegal stuff, but what could a drug dealer possibly do to get targeted? I reloaded the message in hopes it might change. But it was all in vain. The door opened and Sanji sat down on the bed next to me. He wrapped his arm around me and kissed my neck.  
"Not now," I muttered.  
"What's the matter?" Sanji asked he rested his chin on my shoulder. I showed him the screen.   
"Oh, shit," he said. I nodded. "Marimo, wha-"  
"I don't know," I sighed and turned the screen off and set the phone down.   
"Can't you explain that he's not a threat?"   
"It's too late, he's already been targeted. If I refuse to do it, they'll just assign someone else to it, and anything in store for me can't be good." I said Sanji was quite, he hugged me tighter, squeezing me in his arms for just a moment.   
"What are you gunna do?" Sanji asked. I thought about it for a moment. I didn't have many options.   
"I think, I'll head over to Saboady, Luffy's there visiting him I'll talk to Kidd and fake it, maybe," I decided.   
"That plan has a few holes in it," Sanji said.  
"I'll figure it out as I go," I muttered. Sanji hummed and shifted a little closer to me.   
"Better tell Nami then, huh?" I nodded.   
"Sanji, will you stay with the others for this one?" I asked. Sanji tensed against me, I could already feel him frowning.   
"Why?"   
"There's just too much unpredictability, too much the government can step in on, too much of a lot of things," I said.   
"That's dumb, but whatever, fine, I'll stay," Sanji muttered, he clearly wasn't okay with staying, but he wasn't arguing.  
"Thanks," I said.   
"Mhm," Sanji hummed, he kissed my cheek and got up to leave the room. That was... different.   
The next day, I was on a plane to Saboady. The place that crawled with life, where Kidd lived and where Luffy was right now. My flight landed early in the morning, my only option was to check in to a motel and find Kidd in the morning. There was still an issue here, even if Kidd was okay with it, there was still dealing with the body, I'd have to call it in. Like any other mission.   
Trying to hash out all the details kept me up the entire night.  
Regardless, once the sun came up I got up, showered, changed, and headed out.   
I knew where to find Kidd and Luffy, but I didn't want to be traced to Kidd's house. And I wanted to keep Luffy out of this as much as possible. I could go to Killer first.   
I pulled on a hoodie and headed outside. It was hot out but that didn't matter much with an ocean breeze blowing through the city. I headed downtown, to the furthest away from the ocean, careful to be sure no one was following me. The neighborhood was rundown, junk piles filled peoples porches and lawns. Rickety old fences surrounded houses and old paint jobs were peeling away.   
I walked up to a house similar to every other house in the neighborhood. The house was small, old car parts were piled up on the creaky porch that had once been a hideous shade of aggressive red was now a dusty, almost pink color. I knocked on the rusty screen door that lacked a screen.   
"Roronoa," Killer said, leaning on the door frame. "Still killing?"  
"Are you still wearing that mask?" I retorted. Killer shrugged, pushed the door further open and cleared the doorway. "Well, come in, the place is trashed, but I'm not trying to impress anyone." I stepped inside Killer's house, it wasn't trashed by my standards, but it was messy, clothes and miscellaneous things strewn about the living room.  
"Want a beer?" He asked as I found a spot to sit on the couch.   
"Sure, thanks," I replied. Killer disappeared into the kitchen, there was the distinct sound of a bottle opener being used and Killer returned with two freshly opened beers.   
"I'm guessing you're here for a reason?" Killer asked, passing me the beer. I took a drink before nodding. Killer sat on the old recliner that was falling apart and propped his feet on the old wooden coffee table.  
"I need to talk to Kidd, but I don't want Luffy to know I'm here," I explained. Killer chuckled.  
"Roronoa the loyal dog isn't so loyal, huh?" Killer asked.   
"Tch, I never include Luffy or any of the other Strawhats in my assignments," I muttered, taking a long drink from my bottle.   
"Oh, shit. Who?" Killer asked. Was it worth telling him? How would Killer react? Angry? He could just throw me out and tell Kidd I was out to get him. That wasn't very likely.   
"Kidd." Killer set his beer on the coffee table and rested his elbows on his knees.   
"Well, shit," he muttered. Killer pulled his mask off and looked about the room. I couldn't tell if he was looking for a weapon or not. "When you say you want to talk to Kidd, you mean actually talk to him right?"   
"Obviously dumbass, you think I'm going to be responsible for giving Luffy another damned scar?" I snapped. Killer relaxed back into his chair.   
"Alright, I'll call him and have him come over," Killer said. He stood and walked over to the entertainment center where his phone was sitting on. Killer called and set the phone on speaker before returning to his chair and propping his feet back up.   
"What's up?" Kidd sounded sleepy.   
"Can you talk alone?" Killer asked.   
"Gimme a sec," Kidd muttered. There was the sound of a squeaky bed and I could hear Luffy too, but I couldn't understand anything he said. "What's up?"  
"You need to come over here, and you _cannot_ bring Strawhat," Killer said.   
"Um, okay, why?" Kidd asked. "Don't tell me it's 'cause a sale went wrong again?"   
"You'll see when you get here," Killer said, glancing over at me. I took another drink of my beer.   
"Kay, I'll be there in a few minutes," Kidd said.   
"See ya," Killer said hanging up.   
"Thanks, I can't be here when he shows up. I've got a feeling I'm being watched for this assignment, I don't think anyone followed me but it doesn't hurt to be safe. When Kidd gets here, tell him I'm waiting for him in sector twenty by the old scrapyard," I stood up and headed for the door.   
"Kidd's gunna be pissed when he gets here now, asshole," Killer muttered. I shrugged.  
"He can be pissed at me," I said, leaving with my beer in hand. I walked aimlessly around town for a few minutes, well, not entirely aimless, I was making my way to the scrapyard. Just not quickly. Kidd would go straight there from Killer's house so he'll probably get there before I do. 

I didn't go anywhere near the tourist part of town or the park, I stuck in the residential area, then wandered around the lawless sector's until I finally got to the scrapyard. It really wasn't a scrapyard anymore, it was abandoned in the lawless sector, it had been robbed dry. The only thing left of it was the giant heaps of metal no one could be bothered to pull away. Kidd was lounging on one of those heaps when I got there.   
"Figure's you're late, get lost Roronoa?" Kidd asked, glaring in my direction.   
"Something like that," I said, I threw my empty bottle against a metal heap. Kidd raised his eyebrow at me and shook his head.  
"What do ya want?" He asked looking up at the mangrove trees above us.  
"I've been assigned to kill you," I said, leaning against the same heap Kidd was lounging on.  
"Well, shit," Kidd muttered.   
"What'd you do to piss off the government?"  
"Probably ticked off Joker, the dick was buying my product to make his own so I cut him off." Kidd shrugged and sat up.   
"Why would they give a crap about a drug deal?" I asked.  
"Joker's a huge public figure, I can't say who, but he's got ties. I just didn't think the jackass was petty enough to take a damned drug deal to the government," Kidd said. He stood and stretched out his arms, popping his shoulders. I nodded.  
"I'm going to assume you've come up with some sort of plan, Killer didn't seem to think you were out to kill me, would've warned me otherwise." I nodded to that.  
"It's not the best idea, I'm going to follow you around the next couple days, make it look like I'm gunna kill you, set up an accident so I don't have to get clean up," I explained. Kidd nodded.   
"I'm guessing I'll have to hide out for a while too, huh?" Kidd asked.   
"That would be the right idea," I said.   
"Damn, that's gunna be a pain in the ass, Luffy sure as hell won't like it, it'll make work hard as fuck too. You know there's a spy in the underground? Killer's going to have to act as our voice and he's never been good at that," Kidd rambled. I nodded along with his statements. Who was assigned to go undercover right now? Stussy, Kaku, Lucci, and Jyabura. It didn't matter right now.   
"You gunna be helping me out with any of that?" Kidd asked.   
"Luffy's bother will set you up with a fake identity and a place to hide, I've still gotta give him a call, but I know he'll do it."  
"Yeah, right, Sabo hate's me, Koala too," Kidd grumbled.   
"You don't know Sabo very well then," I said. "Doesn't matter if he hates you or not, he'll help you because Luffy loves you. He might be a dick the entire time though." Kidd scoffed at that.   
"What now then?" Kidd asked.   
"Go about your life as normal, if anything of relevance comes up, I'll let you know," I replied. "I'll take care of everything for now. Under no circumstance, is Luffy to know I've been assigned to kill you, got it?"  
"You're telling me to lie to my boyfriend?" Kidd asked. He glared at me, to some it may have been threatening, but to a cold-hearted killer like me, not a chance.   
"Yes."  
"Wow, didn't ever expect you to be the one saying that," Kidd looked up at the mangroves again. "How will I know when I should go off the grid?"   
"You'll get into an accident that could kill you, but didn't," I said.   
"Genius," Kidd muttered sarcastically.   
"Better than you being dead," I retorted. "Luffy doesn't deserve another scar."  
"And here I thought you actually gave a shit about me." Kidd's phone started to ring.   
"And that's Luffy, he probably just woke up," Kidd said. "That all? I'd like to get home to Luffy."  
"Yeah," I said.   
"Thanks, Roronoa," Kidd answered his phone. "Hey, babe-" he walked off. and I made my way back to the motel. I pulled out my laptop as soon as I got back. I searched through Eustass Kidd's records for the mere purpose of having the search history. Nothing worth knowing that I didn't already know. He grew up in Saboady, his parents died when he was young and Kidd was left on the streets, pretty typical for a drug dealer. Though that part was newer, he had never been caught or arrested until recently. I knew Kidd had been dealing with black market stuff since he was a kid.   
I pulled his address, license plate, car description, official place of work from that and set out to follow him. Akainu didn't give a shit about my personal life, he expected me to do my job and be sure no one knew of my profession. And sure, the Strawhat's were starting to gain more attention online, but they weren't any more attention-worthy than a YouTuber. I half wanted us to stay like that, for the sake of the government giving the others no attention. Between Robin, Franky, and I, we had plenty of government attention already.   
The most promising thing is that there was no obvious connection with Killer on Kid's records. Killer could act as our in-between. I followed Kid from the place he worked, a souvenir shop in Saboady Park. It was a minimal job, one that would be expected that someone like Kid would have. He painted a perfect front for him to hide behind. From work Kid would go home, he would go out with Luffy or they'd hang out at Killer's house or some of Kid's other friends. It was all very mundane.   
There were a few choices I had for accidents. The best, most controlled option I had was staging something at the park. So after paying off a couple of people, some breaking and entering, and a fake bomb, Kid's death was ready to be staged. I called Sabo and filled him in, with a heavy sigh, he agreed.  
I followed Kid and Luffy around the whole day. They spent most of it at the amusement park. They must have been on some sort of date. Throughout the day I noticed someone else close to them, a person in a hoodie, the only features that I could get from the distance they were at, was that they were blond. At first, I paid them no mind. I saw the person again, and again, and again. They had to be following Kid or Luffy. I kept an eye on that person too. They were sloppy with their work no way it was someone from the government. Kid and Luffy went on a ride and the mystery stalker got on too. Rookie mistake. I watched from a distance always. I stayed distant sitting on benches, getting into random lines while they went on rides. The mystery person lost them for a little while, but not by much since I still managed to keep track of them while following Kid.   
It was well into the afternoon when. Kid and Luffy came to a stop, Kid was talking to Luffy, and Luffy was grinning. I couldn't hear what they were saying and whatever it was, was between them. He took both Luffy's hands in his and kept talking, Luffy smile gradually faded.   
From the attention Kid was starting to draw, it was safe to assume he was talking a bit louder but still not enough for me to hear. Kid kneeled in front of Luffy.   
Was he..?  
Kid pulled something from his pocket, holy shit, he was. He was proposing to Luffy. Luffy stood there shocked for a moment, he stared at Kid, mouth hanging open. Damn it Kid! Luffy eventually grinned and said yes, Kidd stood and Luffy hugged and kissed him. I smiled for them. Seeing Luffy smile like that was never a bad thing. I just didn't see how that was going to work with what was going on now. I waited as disaster began to unfold. Bad timing, Kid. 


	62. Incident

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, Im on spring breakk guys! Anyway, I'm going out of town tomorrow and I don't know If I'll get the chance to post so I'm gunna post this chapter a little early (it's like 9pm on Tuesday for me) See you next week! when I'll be back in school :(

**_○○_**  
Okay, so maybe, just maybe, proposing to Luffy and faking his death immediately afterward wasn't the best idea. But Kid wasn't going to let whatever shit Roronoa had going on get in the way of his plan. He was going to propose to Luffy regardless. Luffy's flight was leaving tomorrow morning, so if he had said no, Kid wouldn't have to deal with seeing him. Cowardly move? Bitch, maybe.   
"Kid, what's going on?" Luffy was tense as he drove, glancing at Kid, then the road, and back. "Why did that happen?"   
"Hurry up and drive to Killer's," Kid grumbled. "I'll explain on the way." Luffy turned on the busy street, tons of cars were fleeing the park.   
"Kid-"  
"I had to do it because I pissed off a buyer," Kid said. "An important one with a lot of connections, now he wants me dead. And I prefer to not do that, so Killer came up with that." He gestured to the park that was disappearing behind the other buildings. Roronoa didn't want Luffy to know he was involved, whatever reason he had for it wouldn't get Luffy hurt or endanger. Zoro was loyal to Luffy to a fault, and it showed. Hell, he was only keeping Kid's ass alive because of that loyalty.   
"Why didn't you tell me before today, asshole," Luffy muttered.  
"Babe, I'm sorry, there just wasn't any time, I was busy," Kid said. Luffy huffed.   
"We're still getting married, I don't care if your dead or not." Kid had to laugh at that.   
"Good, that was my plan," he said.   
"Then what now?" Luffy asked he glanced at Kid and set his eyes back on the road.   
"I'm going to have to leave Saboady," he said.   
"Awe, I like it here," Luffy pouted as he turned.   
"It's not like you can't come back," Kid said.   
"Still," Luffy huffed, stopping at a red light. Kid's phone vibrated a text from Roronoa. Shit, he made a point of not having any connection to Kid, it must be serious.   
_Someone is following you guys right now, It's not anyone from the government, lose him._  
"Take the next left," Kid said as the light turned green.  
"That's not-  
"I know, just do it." Luffy did as Kid asked. Kid instructed him to go to the right, then another left, left, right, then they went straight for a while and another left, right, right, and right.   
_Shit, I lost you._ Roronoa texted.   
"What was that about?" Luffy asked.  
"Someone was following us," Kid muttered. If it wasn't the government, it had to be one of Joker's guys, that was bad. It didn't work. Maybe they were just suspicious?  
"That means it didn't work, right?" Luffy muttered.   
"Not necessarily," Kid squeezed Luffy's knee and kissed his cheek.   
"Kid, I'm driving!" Luffy protested.  
"And you're doing a great job," he replied, kissing his neck and moving his hand up Luffy's thigh. Teasing Luffy was fun, watching him squirm was even better.   
"Kid, really, what if it didn't work?" Luffy asked.  
"Well, I'm leaving Saboady either way, and they'll have a hell of a time finding me after that," Kid said, kissing Luffy's neck again and messaging his inner thigh. Luffy groaned.  
"That's hot," Kid hummed.   
"You're an ass," Luffy muttered,   
"Mhm."   
"Shit," Luffy cursed, slamming on the break. "Look, I almost ran a red light because of you."  
"Oh, C'mon, like you don't pull this shit all the time," Kid countered.   
"Kid!" Luffy snapped. With a sigh, Kid pulled away from him. No way was he moving his hand though. The changed and Luffy started pulling forward. There was a blaring honk that came from their right, followed by a screech and the smell of burning rubber.   
_SCROOSH_  
Kid was hit with the full force of what felt like a semi. The car rolled into the window of the building they had been passing. Pain erupted all over his body. The only thing he thought of was Luffy. Keeping Luffy from getting hurt. That's all that mattered.   
Luffy braced himself against the seat as the airbag blew up in his face. They had been hit. Was it his fault? Luffy didn't have a clue. There was screaming and Luffy hit his head on something, he wasn't sure what, the seat belt dug into his neck and waist. The airbag started to deflate and something warm was running up his forehead, yes up. The car was upside down, and so was Luffy. He turned to the passenger seat, it was hard, there was something in the way, Luffy didn't do much to argue with whatever obstruction was there. He couldn't make sense of what he was seeing Kid was there, unconscious, but there and Luffy just couldn't make him make sense. That didn't make any sense at all. There was some shouting and all it did was make Luffy's head hurt.   
"Are you alright?" Someone was by the car window, on the floor, leaning on broken glass, waving their hand in front of Luffy. It was a man, or teenager, who knows? Not Luffy. He had a phone in his hand. Luffy muttered something he wasn't sure what.   
"That's good, I called an ambulance so you just have to sit tight, you shouldn't move until they get here," the man said.   
"Do you know what happened?" The man asked.   
"Uh-uh," Luffy muttered looking over to Kid again.   
The guy made a loud noise a drew Luffy's attention back to him.   
"Well, I think you just save about twenty lives, there's a semi in the window and it looks like it hit you pretty fast, that would have gone right through this little shop," the guy explained.   
"A semi hit us?" Luffy was starting to make sense of his surroundings again. He was in a coffee shop. The pain was pulsing through his head, and his right side hurt too. His entire right side, mark and all.   
"Kid," Luffy moved to turn toward him.   
"Hey, don't turn your head, just keep looking this way," the guy insisted.   
"Your friend is fine-"  
"He's not my friend, he's my fiance," Luffy bit.   
"Your fiance is fine I can see him breathing, there's a chunk of sharp wood from going through the window right next to your head and if you move too much you'll push it into your fiance even more than it already is, so just keep looking this way," the guy explained.   
"O-okay," Luffy muttered.   
"Fiance, huh?" The guy at after some silence. "When's the wedding?"  
"Dunno, he just asked me today," Luffy said. He wanted to reach out for Kid, but the guy told him not to move. Luffy couldn't feel anything but pain in his right side. The guy kept talking, Luffy could tell the guy was only trying to distract him, to keep his attention away from Kid. The ambulance showed up soon enough, and firefighters. Luffy noticed police too. They managed to pull Luffy out of the car. They gave Luffy something for the pain right away, Luffy wasn't sure what it was.   
"Luffy! Kid!" That was a familiar voice.  
"Zoro?" Luffy questioned. Zoro came to his side right way, seeing his best friend covered in blood that clearly wasn't his own was unsettling. That was a lot of blood. Too much blood to be from one person. "What are you doing here?"  
"I-I'll tell you later, is Kid okay?" Zoro asked.   
"I dunno, they took him over there," Luffy gestured in the direction Kid's car was in. "Zoro-"  
"Sir, are you riding with us? We need to get him to a hospital now," a man asked Zoro.  
"Yeah," Zoro said. The medics picked up the stretcher Luffy was on and carried him to the ambulance with Zoro right behind. The painkiller was starting to kick in, Luffy could hardly feel any of the pain he had before. Except for one, all too familiar one.   
"No, no, no, no," Luffy muttered as the siren blared and the ambulance started to move.  
"Luf, what's the matter?" Zoro asked. The pain was ripping its way up his arm, there was nothing that could stop the pain brought on by a scar. Luffy dug his nails into his wrist, anything to get rid of the pain of those stupid fucking scars.   
"Hey!" The medic pulled Luffy's hand away. Luffy had thick tears welling in his eyes.   
"Luffy?" Zoro asked, Luffy just bit his lip, trying to hold back sobs.   
"Kid's dead," Luffy finally sobbed. With a shaky breath. The medic pressed his lips together and worked on the cut that was on the side of Luffy's head. Zoro leaned back against the wall. There was nothing he could say. Zoro brushed his thumb over his own mark. Sanji. He couldn't imagine ever losing him. At least he got to go home to him. Here Luffy was, with three scars, none of which Zoro had been there for. Not for Luffy anyway. He had been on a mission when Coby had gone, and he had been on another one when Shirahoshi...  
"I'm sorry, Luf," Zoro said quietly. It was his fault. Kid and Luffy wouldn't have even been on that road if not for Zoro's stupid plan. Luffy didn't seem to be listening though.   
"I hate these stupid marks!" Luffy snapped. "Marks leave scars and it's not fair!" Luffy's chest heaved with his sobs.   
"Luffy-"   
"They deserved to live just as much as I do," Luffy muttered. "I'm never acting on one of these stupid things again!" Luffy declared. Zoro looked at the ground. The ambulance came to a stop, the doors opened right away and Luffy was pulled out. Zoro followed right to the front doors of the hospital.   
Aokiji was there, standing by the door, watching Luffy get taken into the hospital. Making the summer air feel like ice on wet skin.   
"What now?" Zoro said a little too harshly. Aokiji sighed.  
"You should know to not try to fool us," he said nonchalantly.   
"What are you talking about?" Zoro retorted. Aokiji shrugged.   
"Akainu wants you at headquarters, he's not happy."  
"He usually isn't," Zoro muttered. Aokiji nodded to that with a small chuckle.   
"My job is simply to bring you there, I was given orders to keep you away from the Strawhat too, but I couldn't care less about that," Aokiji said. Zoro considered his options.   
"That's why I was sent with you, C'mon Roronoa, let's go," Hina said from behind him. Between the two, and without his swords there was no way Zoro could fight either of them off. This wasn't good.   
"Oh, don't make us threaten those street performers, that's just low, c'mon kid," Hina insisted when Zoro didn't respond right away. Zoro clenched my jaw, a light tingling rose up his arm from his mark.   
"Just let me stay until he wakes up, he's alone here," Zoro was on the verge of begging. Not quite there yet but close.   
"We can't let you do that," Hina said.   
"I have to be here when he wakes up," Zoro insisted. He couldn't leave Luffy alone. Not again.   
"You're outta luck, there's a jet waiting for us at the airport, no time to waste." Zoro clenched and unclenched his fists.   
"Let's go Roronoa," Aokiji stepped past him. Zoro just stood in place for. He couldn't make himself move even if he wanted to. Zoro dug into his pocket and pulled his personal phone out. If Zoro couldn't be here the least he could do was get Sabo down here. The call was answered almost immediately.   
"Hi, Zoro, what's up?" He asked, sounding busy and distracted.   
"Luffy and Kid got into...a car accident," that wasn't true, that was no accident. "Kid's dead and Luffy's in the hospital in Saboady."  
"What?" Zoro could already hear him ruffling through things, hastily throwing together an carry on bag. He could hear Koala questioning Sabo in the background too.  
"I won't be here when you get here, but be fast. He'll be alone," Zoro said with a pang of regret. Luffy shouldn't wake up here alone.  
"Roronoa?"  
"How is he?" Sabo's voice was almost desperate.   
"I'm not sure, I don't think it's bad, I rode in the ambulance with him," Zoro said. He hung up the phone, he had no more answers for Sabo and Hina was not a patient person. Zor followed Aokiji and Hina into the parking lot and to a back SUV with heavily tinted windows. He got into the backseat and Hina drove them to the airport. From there, the three of them boarded the private jet and took off. The flight was long a boring and Zoro was far too worried about Luffy to do anything. For all he knew, Luffy could be dead and that was enough to leave him an anxious mess. Of course, he couldn't let Aokiji or Hina know that. So the duration of the flight he sat silent and staring out the window, putting most of his energy in keeping his leg from bouncing. The flight was hours long and the sun was setting when they landed in Marine Ford.   
Hina and Aokiji escorted Zoro straight to a holding cell, which turned multiple heads in his direction, he even got a few pitied glances. The cell was dark and smelt of musk and mildew. Zoro stayed there for hours, maybe a day. Not knowing if Luffy was okay, how he was doing, or if Sabo had gotten to him or not. As soon as they landed, Hina took his phones and weapons. Both Aokiji and Hina were there to escort him to Akainu's office later on. It was day by then.  
Aokiji opened the door for Zoro when they reached the office and they stood outside the door both guarding it and keeping Zoro inside.   
"Take a seat, Roronoa," Akainu was angry, practically steaming at the ears. Zoro did as told, he sat down in the unusually confining chair across from Akainu's desk.   
"Report," Akainu demanded. Zoro did, without hesitation. He told Akainu about the accident he had set up for Kid to die in. How it went wrong when he realized Luffy was going to be with Kid. He described how Kid had died, and that it was all according to plan. However, there was an unwanted casualty and Zoro was currently unaware if that casualty was death or not. Akainu silently listened, only asking for clarifications when Zoro had missed spots in his lies. That wasn't a good sign.   
"You're hiding something," Akainu stated once Zoro was done. "Your reports have always been flawless." _Fuck._   
"I didn't think it was appropriate to include my relations with the target," Zoro said with a monotoned voice. Akainu nodded.  
"And what is that?" He asked.   
"Eustass Kid was the mark of my best friend," He replied.   
"That casualty was the strawhat then?" Akainu asked. Zoro nodded. Akainu stood and walked over to the big open window that made up one of the walls in his office. He looked out to the ocean.   
"That all?" Akainu asked after some silence.   
"Yes," Zoro replied.   
"Interesting, I assume you've heard of Joker?" Akainu asked. Zoro took a deep breath.   
"Yes, what does that have to do with anything?"   
"The reason Eustass was targeted was not that he was some petty drug dealer for the black market, he was supplying Joker, who is working with the approval of Sengoku, believe it or not," Akainu explained. "And, Joker too, set a black bounty on Eustass, when no one picked up the bounty, Joker's men took it upon themselves to deal with the situation. From Intel, I know the car accident you described was set up by Joker's men." Akainu turned back to Zoro he walked behind his desk and opened one of the drawers, pulling out a knife. A small blade that would make a better wall decore than a weapon. "I'm also aware of your research on Saboady park, and the accident there, that caused no casualties." Akainu finished. Zoro had nothing to say to that. He messed up, people should have gotten hurt at Saboady. He should have taken the conversation he and Kid had more seriously Kid had told him Joker had connections. Akainu made his way to the chair Zoro sat in, unsheathing the knife as he did so. Zoro clenched his jaw.   
"You weren't trying to kill Eustass were you?" Zoro bit his tongue, the pain kept him from showing how nervous he was. There was no use lying. Akainu knew.   
"No," Zoro said, closing his eyes and waiting for the pain to come. Akainu drove the blade into the armrest of the perfectly good chair. Zoro didn't even flinch.   
"At least you didn't lie," He muttered, pulling the knife from the chair, careless with the surfaces the blade disturbed in its wake. Zoro made no such indication that the blade had touched him, the only evidence was the traitorous blood that flowed from his skin. "Right now, Kaku is bringing Strawhat here. You who else we found at the hospital in Saboady?"   
Zoro could feel his pulse throbbing against his skull now, he clenched his jaw. _Sabo._  
"Take a guess Roronoa," Akainu pressed. When Zoro didn't respond, Akainu stabbed the chair again, the arch of the chair, just to the right of Zoro's ribcage. Zoro didn't so much as flinch.   
"No? Alright," he continued. "The right hand of the revolutionaries, did you have a connection with him too?"  
"No," Zoro said. Akainu frowned, dissatisfied with Zoro's answer.   
"Really? He appears to be your Strawhat's brother. Kaku's bringing him too." Zoro couldn't take much more of this, his nerves would drive him insane much faster than Akainu would get around to killing him. That's what Zoro decided this meeting would result in. His death. He just hoped that's the only thing it would result in. Even if it was slow. Akainu removed the blade and paced in front of Zoro. Akainu went around to the other side of his desk, picked up his phone and pushed a button.  
"It's time," He said into the office phone.   
"Correct me if I'm wrong," Akainu said.   
"You've known Strawhat since we let you finish your education in with the general population, that means, you must have known of this revolutionary, He has been at large four years now, and that fits right into the time you were in Logue Town." Everything the man was saying was spot on. There were a lot of unconfirmed assumptions in his words.   
"I wasn't aware he worked for Dragon," Zoro lied.   
"You're a lot smarter than that, you've got holes in everything you've said, it seems you've made a mess," Akainu muttered. There was a knock at the door. Zoro didn't look back to see who was coming in, he had a pretty good guess anyway. Luffy was pushed to his knees on Zoro's right. Sabo on his left. Zoro didn't dare look at them. Akainu went behind his desk and picked up a digital recorder. All reports were recorded, as simple as that. Akainu pressed play. Of course, Zoro's false report started.   
"Zoro-" Luffy started to say but changed his mind. The recording continued. When the report came to an end. Akainu stopped the recording. It had been just after Zoro stated how he knew Kid. How convenient.   
"Why don't you play the entire thing?" Zoro bit. Akainu sighed and pressed play again. The recording stopped. Soon after. Just before Akainu asked him about Joker. Just great.   
"Zoro?" Luffy's voice cracked. Zoro betrayed him? That just wasn't possible. Zoro would never. Zoro wouldn't kill Kid.   
"That's not everything, " Zoro said, staring at his lap.   
"It was a lie, I made it up. I was the reason Kid faked his death and had to leave Saboady. I didn't make the car accident," Zoro explained. Akainu made his way to Zoro with the blade at hand. He drove it in Zoro's shoulder and dragged it across his torso.   
"Hey!" Luffy shouted, he got to his feet and shoved Akainu with the full force of his body onto the ground.   
Zoro shouted in pain. Sabo rolled onto his side and kicked Akainu.   
"Lu, c'mere," Sabo said. Luffy moved closer to Sabo and pressed his back to Sabo's. Zoro watched as Akainu sauntered over to Luffy and Sabo. Just as Luffy broke free of his restraints, Akainu grabbed hold of him.  
Luffy used the momentum of Akainu pulling on him to shove Akainu into the desk. He knelt down to help Sabo. Akain was up again and making his way to Luffy. The pain across his body became a secondary concern and he pushed himself off the chair and into Akainu. The two slide over the desk and hit the floor on the other side. The throbbing of the cut on his torso only grew more intense with every breath. I burned and stung now.   
"Zoro! " Luffy shouted at one point. Zoro and Akainu scuffled on the floor, knocking over a chair, exchanging blows and damaging the fancy desk. Finally, Akainu took to shoving his filthy fingers into the cut the soaked blood into Zoro's clothing.   
"Fuck!" Zoro cursed, the pain made black spots dance across his vision. Maybe that was the blood loss.


	63. Deals

**_1 1/2 years ago_ **

**_《Zoro_ ** **_》_ **

The creaky cell door opened I didn't bother looking up to see how had come in. The sound of his footsteps gave him away. I had been in there so long I could smell the faintness of the sea on him.   
"Roronoa," Kaku said. "There's an assignment for you."   
"I ain't doing shit for the government, might as well kill me," I snapped. I meant it too.   
"Akainu agreed to let the Strawhat go if you followed orders," Kaku said. He a set tablet on the floor in front of me. That caught my interest. At least I knew Luffy was still alive now. Unless they were messing with me. That only left Sabo's wellbeing unknown.   
"Fine," I said. I picked up the device and scrolled through it. Wapol. Easy. "I get my swords?"   
"One of them for now," he said. I'll take what I can get.   
"What about Sabo?"   
"Tch, the Revolutionary?" Kaku questioned. "He's being interrogated, Akainu isn't ever letting him go." Interrogated. He was being tortured. Why did Kaku sugarcoat that shit? He knew as well as I did what they were doing to him.   
My jaw clenched. Tension built up in my stomach. It was a good thing I hadn't eaten anything decent in days. It was my fault he was here, my fault Luffy was here. There was no good way around this. Kid was doomed the moment a bounty was set on his head, whether I was assigned to him or not. Kaku pushed the door open wider.  
"There's a jet waiting for you, it'll take you to Drum Island and bring you back," Kaku explained. "Everything you need is already there." I stood, my entire body ached from the poor sleeping conditions. My back and shoulders cracked as I passed Kaku. I made it up the first floor and headed for the landing. There was a single jet on the runway. I boarded and was greeted with all the lavishness of the government. I had a full course meal suitable for royalty, a jet to myself, my travel bag and my white sword, Wado Ichimonji. I was glad to have it back in my possession. Those government scum shouldn't ever touch my swords.   
The ride was long and the pilot landed twice to refuel along the way. Drum Island was in the far north, the Strawhats hadn't even gone up there yet. Maybe in the heart of summer, it'd be warm enough to dance there. When I landed in Drum Island, I changed into warmer clothes and headed out. Wapol would be in the capital. So that's where I had to go. I spent a week gathering information. Between that, and the bitter cold, I only left the motel room when I absolutely had to. Which was far too often. The hardest part would be getting into his home. Once I was in getting close would be easy.   
I was set up on the roof of a building across the street, there were guards posted at every entrance onto the property. There were a few weak spots along the stone fence that I might be able to get over but with no aerial visual there was no guarantee those were actually weak spots. I also had no idea of the inner security of the building. What a pain in the ass. I could use a drone right about now.   
I decided to take the risk. I made my way back to the ground, unrolled my sword in an alley just across the street from one of the weak points. I checked to make sure there was no one road. I'd have to do this quickly. I darted across the road and used my momentum to push myself over the roughly six-foot fence. I dropped onto a grassy lawn on the other side. There was no one outside, but I was still very visible from the house. I ran across the wide lawn that clearly needed a small army of gardeners to keep as nice as it was. I pressed myself against the wall of the building. There was a window on the second floor just above me, that could be a way in. This house was big enough to have a service entrance though. It couldn't be too hard to find it. I stayed less than an arm's length from the side of the building as I circled the perimeter. Getting in through the service entrance would be a bit of a problem though, witnesses and all. I stopped dead in my tracks when Usopp came out of service entrance hidden between two bushes along the side of the house.  
"Usopp!?" I snapped. "What the hell are you doing here?" Usopp jumped and dropped the bag he was carrying.   
"Zoro!" Usopp jumped on me, trapping me in a hug that was Luffy worthy. I pried him off of me and pulled him closer to the house and the bushes to keep from being seen.   
"What are you doing here? What happened to the others?" I asked.  
"I'm working here," Usopp said. "When Sabo called Nami to ask about Luffy, we didn't even know he and Kid got hurt. Sabo said you had called him. We went to Saboady right away. But Luffy and Sabo were gone and in the room that Luffy was supposed to be in there was Kuma, who said he was from the government."  
" _What?_ " I asked that can't be good. Kuma was not someone Akainu sent to deal with things as small as Luffy and Kid. Hell, Kuma wasn't even under Akainu's command. Usopp stuffed his hands into the pockets of his jacket. He frowned.   
"There were a bunch of others from the government there, they took all our money, froze out our bank accounts, drugged us and dropped us in random cities, at least I think that's what they did," Usopp said, waving his arms about as he spoke.   
"What's that supposed to mean?"   
"I don't have a phone, they took that too, I assume they did the same with the others, I woke up here in an alley two weeks ago."  
"Two weeks?" I was certain it had only been a few days that I had been trapped in that cell.  
"Are you here on an assignment?" Usopp asked with resentment, I didn't blame him.  
"Yeah. Luffy and Sabo are at Marineford, they're being held captive, they let me out to do this job, in exchange they'd let Luffy go," I explained.  
"What happened in Saboady?" Usopp asked.   
"All you need to know is that Luffy's not hurt too badly, not physically. But Kid is dead," I said, not being able to look at him. If Luffy wanted to tell him any more than that, then it was up to Luffy. Usopp stood there, jaw hanging open.  
"Are you sure?" He asked.  
"As sure as the fourth scar on Luffy's wrist," I muttered. Usopp leaned against the building.  
"Is Luffy- How's he doing?"  
"I don't know, I haven't seen him in two weeks," I said.   
"You've gotta get inside right? To get Luffy out?" Usopp asked I nodded. "C'mon."  
"Usopp took me through the service door after picking up his bag.  
It was warm and smelt like cooking food. Roasted meet of some sort, there was an entire staff in the kitchen. This is not what I needed.  
"Usopp? Aren't you off?" A woman asked.  
"Yeah, I just left something in my locker," He said. I followed Usopp through the kitchen, no one paid me any attention, which was odd. I was carrying a sword after all.   
"The servers don't really care who comes in and out as long as someone here knows who they are," Usopp said once we went into an empty locker room.   
"Now this is really cool, there are hallways through the walls of the house, servant halls, they a little tight but a lot of them aren't used very often," He explained. Leading me into a hallway I almost had to walk sideways through. We went up some steps and around a corner. Usopp came to an abrupt stop, he pressed his nose to the wall, peeking through a peephole.   
"There ya go," Usopp said.  
"Thanks, do me a favor and leave this place, leave quickly, I don't want you to get dragged into this at all," I said. Usopp sighed.   
"All right, there's a library downtown, I stay there during the day, so if you need anything, come find me." I nodded to Usopps words. Usopp opened the door for me and left the way we had come.   
"I didn't request any service," Wappo said. He lounged on a bed, in messy blankets, watching TV. It was so normal. And that made my task even more unnerving.  
"I'm no servant," I said quietly. Wappo turned his big head towards me.  
"Then what do you want and who are you?"  
"I work for the government," I said simply. I unsheathed my sword with the sound metal scraping on metal.  
"Pardon?" He asked. I rose my sword to his neck. The man looked over at me with fear in his eyes. I hated that. Why did they always have to look me in the eye? There was no honor that warranted such an action.  
"Any last words?" I asked. Wapol stayed silent, I drove my blade through him with a sickening crunch. No honor in this line of works, as always. I didn't have my work phone to call it in. There wasn't one left for me on the plane and no instructions to do anything out of the normal. I left the body there and headed back to the jet. I'd have to talk to Luffy when I landed back in Marineford. And I had to find out more information on where the Strawhats were sent. Why would they go after any of the others? They had nothing to do with this. Most importantly I had to find Sanji.  
I left through the hall Usopp had shown me. The staff dealing with some accident at one end of the room. How convenient. I used the distraction to leave, I went back over the fence and back into the ally. I caught the next train out of the city and back to the town I had been dropped off in. Once I was there, many hours later, I called in the assignment.  
Kaku kindly informed me they'd let Luffy go once I returned and gave a report. I doubted Usopp being there was an accident. I returned to Marineford the next morning, I slept on the plane. Hina was there to escort me to Akainu. As soon as I took a seat he asked me to report. I did. I didn't leave anything out. As much as I wanted to leave my friends out of my assignments, I didn't want to risk putting them in danger on the off chance it was a setup.  
"Good," Akainu said, satisfied with my report. "You should know that each Strawhat is being watched, as you fulfill assignments, we'll let them go so long as you can be trusted." I didn't say anything in response to that.  
"May I speak with Luffy before he leaves?" I asked after some silence. It was Akainu's turn to be silent.  
"I suppose there's no harm in it," he agreed. I felt my shoulders relax.  
"And Sabo, What will happen to him?" I dared to ask.  
"He's a revolutionary, he committed treason, we're going to execute him, obviously. Tar filled my stomach. Sabo had been there for me as often as Luffy had been. He was a brother to me as much as Luffy was. I clenched my fists. I can't let that happen. And what would Koala and Luffy do?  
"No," I muttered. What else could I say?  
"No?" Akainu asked.  
"No." Akainu sat silently, I didn't dare look at him. Whatever he was thinking I didn't want to know.  
"That's not a response I've ever gotten since I've worked here," Akainu mused. I said nothing. I Akainu tapped his fingers on the surface of his desk.   
"What will it take to let him go?" I asked. It was a stupid question. He was a damned revolutionary, any sane person would laugh at me for even suggesting Sabo would be let go. What did I have that they wanted anyway?  
"Now we're getting somewhere," Akainu smirked. _What?_  
"What do you want from me?"  
"Your life." 


	64. Free

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey my dudes, it's been a pretty good week for me, I hope you guys have just as good a week! This chapter's pretty short so I'll be posting 61 as soon as I finish some final edits on it! See you shortly. And enjoy!

**_1 1/2 years ago_ **

**_《Zoro》_ **

I sat there, shocked at the information Akainu had laid out for me.   
Not only was I to be free from the government when I turned 22, but I was also sold to them by my own parents.   
People I had never met. People I didn't care to remember. In exchange for Sabo's freedom, I had to agree to work for the government for the foreseeable future.   
Akainu let me sit silently. That was a no brainer. Of course, I'll do it. But the thought that I was so close to freedom was sickening. So damned close. I doubt Akainu would have even told me if I hadn't made an offer.   
"Okay, I'll stay working for the government," I agreed. "I'd like to ask two more things, one that I be allowed to see both of them before you send them away, and two, to ask that they never know about this conversation."   
"That's fine," Akainu said. "You're excused back to your cell." I stood without a word and was escorted back. The cell was far darker than I remembered it and managed to smell even mustier.  
It was hours later that Aokiji came to my cell he stood in front of my cell for a moment.  
"There was a bet going around on whether or not you'd take the deal," Aokiji kindly informed me while he unlocked my cell.  
"Did you win or lose?"  
"Me and Kaku won," Aokiji admitted.   
"Good to know," I said, standing when Aokiji swung the door open. I followed him deeper into the holding cells. Aokiji stopped just five doors down and opened up a heavy metal door. We ventured further into the maze that was the basement of Marineford until Aokiji came to a stop in front of another, heavy metal door. Behind it was Sabo, battered and bruised, far more than he had been the last time I saw him. He glanced up, at first with a glare sharp enough to kill. His eyes softened when they fell on me, only for a moment.  
"Taking your turn to beat the shit outta me to?" Sabo sneered. I didn't expect that to feel like a slap to the face, but it did.   
"Hell no," I retorted. Aokiji walked over to Sabo, his entire body tensed, he tried to hide it, and he did a decent job, just not good enough. Aokiji released Sabo from his restraints and stepped back.   
"You're being let go," Aokiji said. Sabo's frowned deepened.  
"I made a deal," I said, "nothing too serious than what I've already got, you and Luffy are free." Sabo stood and rubbed his wrists, giving extra attention to the one that held his mark.  
"But you-" Sabo stopped, he looked at the ground for a moment. "Guess Akainu was just trying to mess us up, huh?" I nodded.  
"What did you agree to?" He asked.  
"Don't worry about it, it's got nothing to do with you or Luffy, other than getting you two outta here." Sabo walked towards me, cautiously watching Aokiji as he did. Sabo looked me in the eyes.   
"I get it, you won't tell me," Sabo sighed. "But don't play it off like it's nothing, I can see it in your eyes, you lost something pretty big. Thank you, Zoro," Sabo squeezed my shoulder. Damn him and Luffy both, the two of them could see right through me. Assholes.  
"Off to get Strawhat then?" Aokiji swung a set of keys on his fingers as he passed us, leading the way back down the hall.  
"How's the wound?" Sabo asked.  
"Better than it was the last time you saw it, hurts like a bitch to swing a sword," I said.  
"That's good then, it's healing pretty quickly." I nodded, though Sabo wasn't looking at me. I studied his injuries in our silence. He had a bruise that made his scar look even more contorted. His lip was cut and dried blood still stuck to his skin under his nose, above his brow. I could see that his clothes were damp, from nearly being drowned, I'd bet. From the way he favored one side of his torso, he had a cracked rib at the very least. Aokiji came to another stop, just down the call of my own cell I'd be calling home for the next week or two. Luffy was locked up. He sat in the dark, in the corner, his strawhat covering his face. He was probably asleep. Aokiji opened the cell and let me go inside to wake him.  
"Luf?" I said, lifting his hat. Luffy opened his eyes slowly, he glanced around the room before his eyes settled on me.   
"What are you doin' here?" He asked, tilting his head in curiosity.   
"Getting you and Sabo out, how does that sound?" I asked.  
"What about you?"   
"Still working on that," I sighed and Luffy adjusted his hat.   
"And this," Luffy pressed his hand to my chest, I told him the same thing I had told Sabo.  
"I bet," Luffy said with a grin. "I knew you didn't betray us, even when that recording was playing."   
"I know," I said, standing up and offering to help Luffy, though it did cause pain to ache through my stomach and chest. Luffy got to his feet and Adjusted his hat again. I walked with them to the front door of the building, that was as far as Aokiji would let me go. I remembered something just before Luffy and Sabo left.  
"Luf, they were all split up," I said.  
"Huh?"  
"the Strawhats, everyone is split up with no phones or money because of what I did."   
"Oh, okay," was all Luffy said before he and Sabo left. Aokiji escorted me back to my cell after that. I didn't hear anything from Luffy from there on. The days blended together in that cell, I had nothing to do but throw pebbles at the wall, and push-ups when the wound didn't hurt as much. I must have spent another two weeks in that cell before Akainu sent for me again. He had tablet lid out in front of him on his desk, and a new chair for me to sit in. Akainu only gave me information I already knew. The Strawhats were split up across the world, in lowly populated areas, and without money or resources. I doubted that sat well with Nami. I hoped Sanji wasn't worrying about me too much.   
"You have another assignment, bigger than the last," He said. "Follow orders and we'll unfreeze a strawhat's bank account," Akainu told me simply. I read through the file on the tablet. There was a very specific set of instructions.   
"Okay, do I get a phone this time?"  
"And another sword," Akainu gestured to the door, I glance back to see Kitetsu resting against the wall next to the door. "Wado Ichimonji is on the jet already. Leave them both there when you return."  
That's how it went for the next six months. I did as they asked and the strawhats got more freedom. At least that's what I was told. My only choice was to trust Akainu. I didn't hear a word from anyone, not even Luffy or Sanji. It was two more months after that I was allowed to leave. Akainu returned my own cell phone to me, and I flew to Logue town. Luffy was there to meet me at the airport.   
"Zoro!" Luffy shouted, jumping on me and trapping me in a hug.   
"Hey," I huffed, not daring to pry him off me. Luffy let go of me.  
"We've got a flight to Saboady tomorrow, you know," Luffy grinned. "I decided to wait 'till you were free to get started again, hopefully, everyone practiced lots to get better."  
"Really?"   
"Yup!" Luffy led the way out. We walked to his, Sabo's and Koala's house. I was greeted happily, with food and booze, everything a man could ask for. Save for Sanji, he was the only thing that could make this day better. I'd see him soon though.   
We ordered pizza, visited Helmeppo, watch some movies, and packed. When landed mid-afternoon the next day. The only one waiting for us was Sanji. Luffy and found him on his phone, sitting on a bench.   
"Hey cook," I said, not even trying to hide my smile.   
"Marimo," Sanji looked up at me, his expression an amusing mixture of joy and annoyance. He pulled me into an abrupt kiss by my shirt collar before pushing me away.   
"Asshole, you just disappear without a word during an assignment?"   
"Shishishi, there was a lot happening Sanji," Luffy said.   
"The first and only person you even called was Sabo," Sanji huffed. He could be so damned petty sometimes.   
"Well, Sabo should be the first to know when his brother is hurt, but you're right, I should have called you," I said. That left him speechless. He stared at me a moment.   
"Of course I'm right," he muttered, looking away from me. Eight months, I hadn't seen him, hadn't even talked to him. He had changed his hair and started to grow out his facial hair. It looked good on him.   
"Let's get going, the others are waiting, Luffy chimed in.   
"Lead the way cook," I said. Sanji did. When we got to the crappy motel rooms Nami had managed to get for us, Robin was relentless in her drills. We practiced all day, every day for a week straight. And it was only that short because Robin was surprised we had caught on so quickly to her choreography. We took a day-long break and the following day we headed for the heart of Saboady, the park. We played it off as a casual group of friends at first, then when we got to the spot Robin had picked out, Brook and Franky set up the speaker. The music started, loud and clear, grabbing attention from passersby.   
_I don't do this for the riches_  
 _I'm infected, my condition is_  
 _I'm always in my head._  
It was a ripple effect Robin had set up, That grabbed even more attention. People got out of line to come to watch us, the only one not dancing was Usopp, and that's because he was filming us. Recording to post on social media. That had been planned. Luffy, of course, went abandoned the choreo Robin had learned, he always did that. But Luffy was the center of our little show, he always was. It was easy when I focused on the beat and the steps, I had the moves so embedded into my memory I hardly remembered doing any of it. As the song came to a Luffy threw his hat into the air, that wasn't something Robin had in the choreography either, but it looked cool as hell.   
_Bet that you didn't think I'd come back to life!  
_


	65. Home

**_♡_ ** **_Law♡_ **

It had been a long time since I had a 72-hour shift. The last one had to have been before Luffy and I started dating. That, of course, wasn't including the surgeries I had done after the earthquake two months ago. On shifts like this, days blurred together and my sense of time was just nonexistent. Bepo was working the shift with me, and a couple of surgeons from Crocus' team. Collectively, I might have gotten five or six hours of sleep. There's a very specific tiredness that settles into the 20th hour of shifts of that caliber. When you're not sleeping, you're working, it was as simple as that. However, once that 20-hour mark hit. That tiredness is something that can only border on insanity. And it stays with me, looms over me the duration of the shift and often into the next couple of days. On the bright side, working for three days straight also meant I had the following two days off. That was something I looked forward to. When my shift finally came to an end, at 7 am, Monday morning, I drove home with my brain on autopilot. Not the safest option, but I had done it enough times that it really didn't matter.   
The house was quiet, Fai wasn't up yet which was a little odd, but I paid it no mind. The first thing I noticed when I got inside was Luffy's red suitcase resting against the back of the couch. It was too bad he picked today of all days to visit. I'd be far too exhausted to spend time with him. The only thing I wanted was my bed and painkillers. My shoulder ached, almost like it was punishing me for not resting. I went straight to my room, whether or not I'd get adequate sleep, seeing as it was already day time was a task all it's own.   
Luffy was asleep, sprawled out across our bed, hogging bed and blankets. I pulled off my clothes and changed into clean pajamas. That helped very little. What I really needed was a nice bath or a long shower. I could smell the hospital on me. I didn't even bother with a shirt, instead, I untangled the covers from Luffy and dragged myself into bed next to him. The moment I relaxed was like lead weights being taken from my shoulders. I could feel sleep calling to me as soon as my head fell on Luffy's shoulder.   
"Hm?" Luffy hummed, sturring with my presence. Wasn't he a heavy sleeper? Still, I settled laying on him as he usually did to me when we laid on the couch or he wanted to cuddle as I read.   
"Torao?" Luffy asked sleepily, he almost sounded confused.  
"Mhm," I hummed, words were too much effort. Luffy wrapped his arms around me. I didn't think I had been craving his touch so intensely until now.  
"Fai said you worked 72-hours," he said.  
"Mhm," I hummed again. I pressed my face into Luffy neck. Warm, warm and comfortable.   
"That's crazy, I'm gunna make sure you sleep all day and all night," Luffy assured. I smiled at that. "And I'll be here when you wake up!"  
"I don't deserve you," I mumbled into his neck and pressed my lips against whatever skin was closest, I didn't care what.   
"Shishishi, goodnight Torao," Luffy said running his hands through my hair. That should feel as nice as it does.   
"Mhm," I hummed once more. I wrapped my arm around him and let sleep take over.   
I woke up much later, perhaps in another century, I wouldn't have known the difference, Luffy was still lying with me. Granted, if he had moved it would have woke me up. At least my shoulder didn't hurt anymore. Luffy's stomach growled, he sighed but didn't move.   
"Go get something to eat," I mumbled into his neck.  
"But-"  
"Go, Love," I muttered a little more harshly, I pushed myself off of him and pulled the blankets tighter around me. The movement caused my injury to retaliate. Okay, maybe it did still hurt.   
I laid there in the warmth, with my eyes closed but not even coming close to sleep. I wanted-no, _craved_ Luffy. His lips, his voice, his touch especially. That was all I could think about in his absence. I was still awake and lying there when Luffy came back. He slipped under the covers I scooted closer to him, laying on his chest as I had done before. Again, my shoulder hated the movement. I didn't care.   
"Shishishi, miss me?" Luffy said quietly.   
"Yes," I said into the blankets that were pulled so close to us. I was sure it sounded far more incoherent to him though. Luffy wrapped his arms around me and it was mere moments before I was back to sleep.  
What woke me later was a persistent ringing. A ring all too familiar, my fucking phone. What was much worse was Luffy moving to answer the stupid thing. Whoever was calling could burn in hell.   
"No," I grumbled as Luffy moved back to his place in bed.  
"Hiya Peng," Luffy said. I sighed against his neck, my friends suck. The room was quiet enough that I could here Penguin on over the phone.  
"Luffy? You're in town?" Penguin asked. Luffy ran his free hand through my hair, a feeling that was far too comforting, but Luffy didn't need to know that.   
"For a little while, yup," Luffy said happily in he moved his hand over my back, it took me a moment to realize he was tracing the lines of my tattoo.   
"Well, the guys are going to Shakky's in a few, you two gotta come with us," Penguin said, his voice was broken up by a poor connection. I internally groaned at the thought of having to go out anywhere today.   
"Can't, Torao's still sleeping from working all weekend," Luffy said. I really don't deserve Luffy, not even a little bit.   
"Oh, I forgot him and Bepo had that shift, well, you should come hang with us then," Penguin offered. _No._ I squeezed Luffy in my arms, not too much, I didn't have the energy for that anyway.   
"I can't, I promised Torao I'd be here when he woke up," Luffy said. I love this idiot so much.   
"Alright, fine, but we're definitely going out before you leave," Penguin relented.  
"Okay!" Luffy said, he hung up and moved yet again to put the phone back wherever I had left before I got in bed.   
"Thank you," I sighed.  
"Anything for you," Luffy assured. This time around, it took me several minutes to fall asleep. Without Luffy here I doubted I would have slept more than an hour or two.  
I woke up and the room was dark, I guess Luffy kept true to his promise, at least of getting me to sleep all day part. Luffy moaned in his sleep, that must have been what woke me up. He shifted and squeezed me in his arms.   
"Torao," he sighed in a very sensual manner. Oh, he was definitely having a wet dream about me. Luffy moaned again, I shifted, struggling against Luffy's deathly embrace. I kissed his neck and bit his ear lobe, hard enough to get him to wake up.  
"Torao!" Luffy gasped, he jerked away, maybe I bit a little too hard.   
"Have a nice dream?" I asked. There was just enough light coming in from the window to see Luffy turn pink.   
"H-how?" He stuttered it's been a while since I had seen Luffy this flustered.  
"You talk in your sleep," I said, "Actually, I should say I _moan_." Luffy blushed even more.   
"What happened in your dream? Hm," I kissed his neck. "I'll consider making it happen."  
"You're not gunna like it," Luffy said. I pressed my thigh against his crotch.   
"Try me."   
"You bottomed," Luffy said with a sharp intake of breath.   
"Oh really?" I asked, kissing a bit lower.   
"Mhm," Luffy hummed. I dragged my fingers down his stomach. I contemplated it for a moment, the only thing that really sucked about the last time was Luffy's abruptness. Other than that, I definitely enjoyed it.  
"Mm, what else?" I asked, kissing Luffy's neck a bit lower.  
"You left scratches on my back."  
"You're just that good, huh? What else?" I rubbed my thigh against his crotch. Luffy moaned in my ear.   
"Y-you let me leave hickeys all over," Luffy continued.   
"I guess it's up to you then," I said.   
"Huh?"  
"I mean, if you don't want to-" I was cut off by Luffy flipping us over and pinning me to the mattress. I winced at the pain that shot through my shoulder. The overs found their way between us.  
"Did I hurt you?" Luffy asked.   
"A bit."  
"I'm sorry, baby," Luffy pressed a kiss to my lips.   
"It's fine, Love," I said, kissing him again.  
Luffy sat up and pulled his shirt off. He pinned my wrists back to the mattress and smashed our lips together and pressed his thigh between my legs and created unbearable friction. Luffy let go of my wrists and started tugging on the blanket, at the same time, bitting my lower lip. I could feel Luffy becoming impatient and frustrated with the damned thing. I helped him push the thing away from us, and Luffy hastily tugged my pants down. So impatient. Luffy pulled away as he briskly shoved my pajama's off the bed.   
"I know you're impatient, but for the sake of my ass, do not forget the lube," I said.   
"Where?" Luffy panted. I reached for my nightstand drawer and pulled it open. Luffy rummaged through it for a moment before pulling out the container. He clutched it in his fists and turned his attention to my neck, biting and sucking my skin, finding that balance between pain and pleasure that made me moan.   
I found the waistband of Luffy's pajamas and tugged them down. Those were carelessly thrown to the floor too. Luffy started to bite my ear lobe, tugging on the rings with his tongue. I moaned even more.   
"You might be the one waking up Fai," Luffy hummed in my ear. He bit my ear again, leaving me only moan in response. Luffy got far too cocky for my liking when he topped.  
He rocked his hips against mine, between that and his lips I wasn't sure what to focus on. Luffy's fingers trailed over my skin, awakening goosebumps over my flesh.   
Luffy kissed down my neck and chest, leaving pink and red marks that lined my tattoos. I pulled his hair into my fist and tugged on it as he did so. Luffy hummed against my skin, sending chills across my entire body. Luffy finally found his way to my hip.  
"Fuck, hurry up," I grumbled. I was hard and getting impatient.  
"Shishi." Luffy sat up between my legs, he took his sweet ass time opening the lube and covering his fingers in it.  
"Traffy, there's not a lot, I don't think there's enough," He said.   
"At this point, I don't give a shit," I muttered. Luffy massaged my thigh with his clean hand.   
"Ready, baby?" Luffy asked, glancing up at me. I nodded and Luffy pressed his finger inside me.   
"Oh, fuck," I groaned, throwing my head back into the pillow. Then Luffy was stroking my dick. I gasped at the unexpected touch, then I felt the wetness of Luffy's mouth. At the same time, Luffy started curling and uncurling his fingers. I moaned loud, not a volume I would ever admit to. Luffy added another finger and pulled away from my dick.   
"You're almost loud as me," Luffy said with a cocky smirk, meeting my eyes.  
"Just fuck me already," I demanded. Luffy's smirk turned into a small smile.   
"You want me inside you that bad huh?" Luffy asked as he opened the lube again, smearing what was left of it on his dick, moaning as he did so. I was half tempted to pin _him_ to the mattress and make him scream my name.  
"You're the one that sounds desperate" I huffed. Luffy positioned himself between my legs. He dragged his fingers over the inside of one of my thighs while he pushed into me. Slow, agonizingly slow, pushed his dick into my ass with a sigh laced with lust.   
"Mugiwara-ya," I panted mindlessly. Luffy leaned forward, kissing me again and locking our fingers together our marks pressed close.  
There it was again, that pleasure I couldn't place. It was unnerving, and it didn't feel like it was coming from a single part of my body. Luffy shifted and it was gone.   
"Can I start?" He whispered against my ear, his hot breath sending chills down my spine.   
"Please," I replied. Luffy tugged on my earrings with his teeth before kissing me again and he started thrusting.   
"Fuck, Lu," I moaned, I wrapped my free hand around Luffy. Trailing my fingertips down his spine, earning Luffy's moans as well. Then there were those waves of intense pleasure, almost as if...  
"Shit, right there, fuck-" Luffy hit my prostate, I arched my back, bringing our bodies closer together.   
"Say my name," Luffy ordered with sternness in his voice that he had most certainly never used anywhere near me. And damn, it was hot. " _Say it."  
_ "Luffy!" I moaned, another series of mind-boggling waves washed over, I swear it was like every time our marks touched...  
Our marks touched...  
"Fuck, Luffy-ya, faster," I moaned, again, something I'll never admit to. Luffy obeyed and the waves only washed over me even faster.   
_That had to be it._ I dug my nails into his skin, I could hardly take any more. Luffy bit the skin of my neck again, his heaving breath against my skin was as much a turn on as Luffy's moans.   
Luffy's free hand wandered down my torso and to my dick, he started pumping it to match his thrusts. All I could do was moan. Moan at the hints of pain that came of Luffy biting my neck and leaving hickeys in his wake, moan at the intense waves of pleasure I was now convinced had something to do with our marks, moan at the dick that was repeatedly thrust into my ass, and moan at the sensations that my dick was victim to.   
"Come for me," Luffy said into my ear, biting my earlobe, running his tongue over the piercings. I didn't know one could ejaculate on command until Luffy said that.   
After that, I became a panting mess and Luffy only kept pounding into me so fucking good. I arched my back, my entire body tense with Luffy's thrusts.   
"Mmm, Torao, you feel so good," Luffy hummed against my ear. I buried my face into Luffy's shoulder, moaning into his skin. Luffy bit my piercings again, shit that felt way too good.   
"Ahh, Traffy," Luffy moaned against my ear. I was getting hard all over again. Luffy kissed down my neck, biting my skin and making me moan. Luffy stopped at my collar bone and sat up, fucking me hard a few more times before coming into me.   
Luffy pulled out of me slowly. He kissed just below my naval and peppered my torso in kisses. I ran my hand through his hair as he did. Luffy finished with a kiss on my lips. He settled in bed next to, pulling the covers over himself.  
"Torao," Luffy was still breathing heavy, he opened his arms. I rolled to my side and scooted closer to him. Luffy pressed his forehead to my chest, his breathing gradually slowed and I couldn't seem to stay still. Luffy just didn't feel close enough. It was ridiculous really. Our entire bodies were pressed together and still, it wasn't enough for my needy ass.   
"Neh, Traffy what's wrong?" Luffy asked sleepily.  
"What do you mean?" I replied.  
"You're all fidgety, you're never fidgety," Luffy said he pulled away to look up at me.  
"You don't feel close enough," I muttered, I'm sure with a growing blush.   
"Oh, why didn't you say so?" Luffy asked, he scooted away just a tiny bit and adjusted so I was eye level with his chest. Luffy wrapped his arms around me. "My poor Torao is just touch starved."   
I had never quite thought of it like that. I just missed Luffy to a ridiculous extent that I had become clingy as hell. Still, I hugged him close to me. This was much, much better now.   
"Better?" He asked. I nodded and pressed my forehead to his chest. So much better. The two of us fell asleep like that. 

The next morning, I was up before Luffy, who was gently snoring, and at this point, all I wanted was to get out of bed. That of course, and a shower. I still stunk like a clinic. I slowly freed myself of Luffy's grip, found my pajama pants, gathered clean clothes, and headed for the bathroom. When I was done, Luffy was still asleep. I picked up the room, it wasn't much just clothes I had lazily thrown on the floor, and clothes Luffy and I had torn off each other. A couple of the boxes Luffy sent over from Sabo's cluttered our room as well. I then decided to make Luffy breakfast. He would love pancakes and bacon.   
I was about half-done with breakfast when Fai came into the kitchen. She sat down at the table and watched me for a moment or two.  
"Wow, he does still live here," Fai commented. I rolled my eyes and looked over at her.   
"Very funny, one or two?"   
"Two, wow Law, you look three years younger without those dark circles under your eyes, maybe Luffy should come around more often."  
"I am making your breakfast, you know," I sighed.  
"And for that, I'm grateful," she said, Fai got up and made her way to the sink on the other side of me. She pulled a class from the cabinet and filled it with water.   
"Oh, nice hickey," she comments. "Hickeys, plural, actually." I rolled my eyes.   
I set a pancake on my ever-growing tower I counted them up, Luffy could easily put away 6 or 7 of my pancakes in a single sitting, the one I just added made 9, perfect. Another omelet and a few more slices of bacon should be plenty.   
"What'd you do all weekend, with the house to yourself?" I glanced at her as I started preparing the omelet and she returned to the table.   
"Oh, you know, threw a rave, had a heroin party with the local druggies," Fai said. I clicked my tongue.   
"Damn Fai, I should send you back to rehab," I retorted. Just then Luffy's arms wrapped around me, I hadn't even heard him come in.   
"What?" Luffy asked in confusion, referring to my retort no doubt.   
"We were just joking," I assured him.   
"Oh," Luffy pressed his forehead against my back. "I really hate when you leave me alone like that after sex," he muttered.   
I glanced over at Fai, she raised her eyebrows but said no smart remark seeing as she had her mouth full. Why did he have to mention shit like that in front of other people?   
"I'm sorry, Love," I said. "Does breakfast make up for it?" Luffy rested his chin on my shoulder.   
"Maybe," he said. "Neh, Torao, it's gone."   
"What?"   
"The red mark," Luffy clarified. He showed me his wrist. It was indeed gone, blank skin next to my mark. I felt a small smile spread across my face.   
"Good." Luffy pressed a kiss between my shoulder blades.   
"What are we going to do today?"   
"How about go through the boxes of your stuff that have been sitting around for weeks," I suggested.   
"That can wait, I wanna do stuff with you!" Luffy declared a little dramatically.   
"I have today off this week and that's it, we're going through those boxes," I added a healthy layer of cheese onto the omelet along with pepper and salt before folding it onto itself.   
"But Torao, I can only stay a couple days," Luffy pouted. I let out a long sigh. It had been a very long time since we went out on anything that could even resemble a date. Seeing as the last time I saw him was the holidays and the only extended alone time we had was after Zoro shot me, we were long overdue.   
There wasn't much to do in Flevance that we hadn't already done. Especially this time of year. Hm. I took the omelet off the stove and the meat that was cooking in the pan next to it. That should be enough.   
"How about, if we finish with the boxes before six, I'll take you out somewhere," I suggested as I reached for some plates and started making Luffy's, starting off with three pancakes, an omelet, and most of the meat I had cooked.   
"Yes!" Luffy cheered. "Where?" I didn't answer.   
"Your plate, Love," I said once I was finished.   
"Thanks!" Luffy kissed my cheek before taking the plate and going to the table. I made Fai's too and set it on the table in front of her. I was nowhere close to being as good as Sanji, but I could well enough to keep Monkey D. Luffy fed and that was no small conquest. 


	66. Kuebiko

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Luffy and Law work on unpacking all of Luffy's stuff he sent over from Sabo's and Koala's house. While unpacking, Law finds Shirahoshi's suicide letter to Luffy, it's ripped up and taped back together, and crumpled from Luffy's lash-outs while reading it. In the letter, Shirahoshi apologizes to Luffy and her family for what she did and encourages Luffy to keep living his life.  
> Afterward's, Law and Luffy find a safe place for the letter and finish up unpacking just in time for them to go out on the promised date. (From last weeks chapter).  
> Law takes Luffy up to a frozen over lake and teaches Luffy to ice skate. They had to borrow a pair of Fai's. On the way home, Law and Luffy get a bite to eat and they aren't home for very long before Law gets a little visit from some detectives.  
> Smoker and Tashigi announce that Law is under arrest for the murders of Donquixote Doflamingo and Rocinante. Luffy, recalls the treatment he and Zoro were given last summer and openly opposes Smoker and Tashigi, at this point Law is getting annoyed with Luffy.  
> Law pulls Luffy aside and instructs him to call Stussy, then goes willingly with Smoker and Tashigi. Luffy calls Stussy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> !!Warning!!  
> There are heavy mentions of suicide in this chapter, (including a suicide letter) Hence, the summary for any of those who need it.  
> See ya next week!!

_**♡** _ _**Luffy♡** _

I dropped the last box onto the bed. Torao had most of the fanart Strawhat fans have sent put into scrapbooks he had bought earlier today. All I had brought with me was clothes, fanmail, pictures, my movie collection (because Law's was a pathetic excuse of a selection), and the bear Law had won me on our first date, of course.   
That's all I really needed or wanted to bring with me. Law sat at the edge of the bed, reading a paper in his hand.   
"Watchya got?" I asked, sitting next to him and resting my chin on his shoulder.   
The page was ripped, torn-up and tapped back together. It hosted creases and crumples and if it wasn't for the fact that the letter was written in pen, it would be illegible. _Luffy_ was written in curly cursive handwriting across the top in dark purple ink. "Oh."  
"Sorry, Love," Law said absentmindedly brushing his fingers over my thigh. Law stopped reading it and kissed my forehead.   
"It's okay, you can read it," I said looking over the words myself.  
_Every night, I'd lie in bed, the brightest colors filled my head. A million dreams were keeping me awake. I think of what the world could be, the one that you're gunna make. You showed me the world when I was all locked up, brought my dreams to life. But none of that will change the things I've done or the problems I created._  
_I never meant_ _to_ _make it_ _such_ _a mess. I never thought that it would go this far. Now_ _I_ _just stand here, sorry, searching for something to say. Something to say. I guess I thought I could be part of this. I never really had this kind of thing before. No friends who just were there. Luffy, there's nothing I can say. Yet, sometimes you say everything you want and sometimes, you see everything you wish you had, and you make it true. I don't think I can ever do what you do."_  
I glanced down at my lap, the first time I had read it that was as far as I got before I angrily crumpled the paper into a ball and threw it. Immediately, I retrieved it and smoothed it out. Her mark tingles and I ran my thumb over it. I remember wondering what she meant by those first sentances. She had never made anything a mess.   
_Words fail, there's nothing much_ _I_ _can say. I'm sorry_ _I've_ _done this to you, my brothers, my dad."_  
That was the end of that paragraph when I finished that part I ripped up the paper and threw it in the trash. It wasn't until a week or two later, when Sabo was picking up my room that I kept reading it. I had done a bad job taping the thing together. I just couldn't let Sabo throw it away. It was all I had of her. Her brothers wouldn't talk to me, her dad would prefer it to have been me. I didn't blame them.   
_Regardless of my choices_ , _Luffy, live._ That word was underlined so much the ink seeped through the paper.   
_Live loud, and wild, and free. You deserve it more than anyone. I hope that you fall in love again, and it hurts so bad, give it all you_ _have_ _. And I hope that you don't suffer, but take the pain. I hope you spend your days, but they all add up. And when your time comes, you'd better say, "I_ _did it all,_ _I_ _saw so many_ _places_ _, the thing that_ _I_ _did! With every broken bone, I swear I lived!"_  
I glanced at Torao, he read over the paper with a sadness that ran deep. I turned back to the page and kept reading.   
_The thing is, we start with_ _stars in our eyes, we start believing that we belong._ I could hear Shirahoshi's voice in the back of my head. I know exactly how she'd speak every word. I could feel the sadness running through the page.   
_But I'll tell you the truth, every star doesn't shine. I know I don't._ An entire line of words was scribbled out next to that, scribbled over so much I couldn't even guess at what she had written.   
_But Luffy, dear you glow like a_ _solar_ _flare, and one day you'll rattle the stars. I just hope someone will be there to catch the light that comes off you_ _that_ _day._  
_Luffy, dear, these are words from a broken friend, beaten time and time again. It's no fault but my own. So my love, take your time, I know I'm not the only one that shares your heart, but still, I'll see you on the other side._

 _Shirahoshi_  
The words were written much sloppier on the last sentances. Shirahoshi must have been so scared when she finished writing it. Law was still tracing circles on my leg as he finished it. He read over it again. I had read the letter so many times, I had no tears left for it. Still, it made life feel so heavy.   
"What are you thinking?" I asked after a little while. Torao was making that face he does when he gets too focused on his own thoughts.   
"Nothing that matters," he said. "What do you want to do with this?" Law folded the paper back up, handling it as if it were a fragile thing that would turn to dust at any moment. I took it and slipped it into the back of a photo album laid out on the bed.   
"Is that the last box?"  
"Yep, its clothes," I said. Torao and I went through more stuff, organizing it and putting it in safe places. Clothes went in drawers and in the closet. Movies went on the shelves of the TV stand in the living room I got Torao to let me put four posters in the living room and two in the kitchen. They were framed and looked a lot cooler that way too.  
"Neh, Torao, it's only 5:40," I reminded him.  
"That it is," Law paused for a moment. "Dress warm, I'll be right back. Torao left our room. I pulled on a heavier sweater and changed from shorts to jeans, and slipped my sandals on. A minute or two later, Torao came back. sighed.  
"You're going to get sick one of these days," He said.   
"Never been sick before, why would I now?" I replied. Law grabbed something from a dresser drawer.  
"What?" Law asked in confusion. "How can you have never been sick?" I shrugged.  
"I dunno," I went out the door, Torao followed me. He found his car keys and told Fai we were going out. Torao drove us out of town, not to the beach we had gone on his birthday or towards Dressrosa. Wherever he was taking me, I had no idea.   
"Traffy, where are we going?" I asked. It was starting to get dark, there's no way there was anything out here that was fun to do in the dark.   
"You'll see," Torao said. I leaned back in my seat. The further out we went, the more trees lined the road, there was no snow in Flevance but it was still cold and frost covered everything. Toroa turned down a dirt road, I got a glimpse of the town near the We drove down the road for a minute or two before pulling to stop. In front of us was a frozen lake, there was a beach that went right to is, no rocks or trees in the way. Torao could drive right onto the ice if he wanted to. Torao reached behind my seat and set and set a pair of shoes in my lap. A pair of skates.   
"They're Fai's but they look like they'll fit you so you can use them," Law said. I grinned.  
"I've never been ice-skating before!"   
"Really?" Law asked with amusement. "Monkey D. Luffy has been around the world and back but never tried to ice-skate?"   
"Yup," I confirmed. "But figure skating looks so cool, and if Robin could put choreography like that together we'd be so awesome!"  
"I think you'd better learn to stay off your ass first," Law suggested.   
"Oh, right," I muttered.   
"And here," Law set a pair of socks in my lap too. Law turned the car off and we got our skates on.   
"Do they fit?" he asked.   
"They're kinda tight," I said.  
"Do they hurt?"   
"Nope," I answered. Torao got out of the car and came around to my side. How he managed to walk with those things on was a mystery. Torao helped me stand and lead me to the ice. He tested it first before he let me get on the ice. To held both my hands, skating backward and keeping me from falling. He took us a pretty good distance from the shore, going slow.   
"I'm gunna let go," he warned.  
"Okay." Torao pulled his hands from mine, I immediately fell on my ass.   
"Ouch," I muttered. Law started laughing. leaning over, clutching his stomach, _laughing._  
"You okay, Love?" I smiled at him.   
"Yup." Torao helped me back up, we repeated this a few times, none of them cause Law to laugh as much as he did the first time  
"Look Torao, I can do it," I said proudly as a glided forward.  
"Watch out, there's a rough patch there," he warned. I tried to turn back towards him but fell. Law glided over to me, gracefully gliding over the ice, he was beautiful and made skating look effortless. Torao helped me up and guided me away from the patch. He explained to me, again, how to turn with the skates, which were actually starting to hurt my feet. Still, we stayed until it got dark and Torao led me back to the shore. We got back into the car and changed shoes again.   
Torao drove us back into town, I could see the lights of Flevance littering the shore, the moon was bright a full, reflecting on the ocean behind it.   
"Hey, where do you want to eat?"  
"Anywhere that has chicken nuggets," I decided.   
"Fastfood?" He asked, a little confused.   
"Yup, I want chicken nuggets," I said.   
"Okay then," Law said. No more than twenty minutes later, we were in a Burger King. Toroa ordered food for us and we sat down at a table. After we ate we went back home.   
"You two have fun?" Fai asked from the couch, pausing the episode of Bones that she was watching.   
"Yup," I said.   
"Glad to see neither of you fell through the ice," she added.   
"That would have been a disaster," Law muttered, heading to our room. I followed him shortly after, he was putting away the skates in the closet, I leaned against the wall. There was a loud knock at the door.  
"I got it!" Fai called.   
"Hey, Traffy," I said with a smile.  
"Hm?" He hummed, coming out of the closet.   
"We live together now," I said. Law smiled too.   
"We do," he said, coming over to me. He pulled me close to him by the belt loop of my jeans and kissed me. I hooked my arms around his neck. The kiss was just too short.   
"Shishi, love you," I said. Law pressed his lips to mine again.   
"Love you too," he said, just above a whisper.   
"Law!" Fai said urgently, coming into our room and closing the door behind her, being sure that it didn't make too much noise.   
"There're detectives looking for you in the living room," Fai said in a hushed tone.   
"What?" I asked.  
"Why?" Torao asked.   
"He didn't say," Fai answered. Law headed for the door. All I could think was that prison, I could feel a ghost of the pain over my chest.   
"Torao!" I stopped him, grabbing his arm.   
"What if you get arrested?"   
"Luf-" Law glanced down at my chest and sighed. "It won't be the same." Law went out into the living room, Fai and I followed him.   
"Can I help you, detectives?" Law asked. I froze as soon as I saw the two. I recognized them from Impel Down. The girl that Zoro fought and the one that took me to that room with that woman.   
"I'm detective Tashigi, this is my partner, detective Smoker," the lady said. When Smoker and Tashigi noticed me, surprised expressions crossed both their faces.   
"A-are you Trafalgar D. Water Law?" Tashigi asked. I wanted to take hide Torao from them. They'd hurt him, I know they would.   
"I am," Law said.   
"You under arrest, for the murder of Donquixote Doflamingo and Donquixote Rocinante-" Smoker started to say.   
"No!" I bit, jumping between the man and Law. "You won't touch my Torao!" I met Smokers eyes, he was surprised at first, but he made no move to pass me. Tashigi moved towards Law but Smoker stuck his arm out in front of her.   
" _Luffy-ya,"_ Law's voiced was ridden with warning. Something bad was going to happen. The knot that has taken hold of my gut told me so. I stared down Smoker, he may have towered over me but that was a small just a small footnote.   
"Luffy, look at me," Law ordered. Looking at him meant turning around and leaving my back exposed to Tashigi and Smoker. Only an idiot would do that.   
"Luffy." Law's voice was verging on anger. I could practically see him standing behind me with his arms crossed and a frown carved into his features. I looked over my shoulder and met his eyes, cloudy silver and annoyed. "Cut it out, you'll only make matters worse," He told me, then his eyes went over my head, he addressed Smoker. "I'll go with you without fuss, just give me a moment to take with my _mark_." Torao cut a glance towards me.   
"Law-" Fai started to say but came to a halt with one glance from Torao.   
"Whatever, kid," Smoker huffed. Law stepped away, not out of the room, but away from Tashigi and Smoker. I followed him.   
"Listen carefully," Law whispered. "They're going to arrest me, doing anything to try and stop it will only make it harder for me to get out of this. So don't."  
"But Traffy, what they did to me-"  
"I know," Law cut me off, he glanced over at Smoker and Tashigi. "It doesn't matter right now, I need you to do something important."   
"Okay," I said just as quiet.   
"My phone it in our room somewhere, find it and call Stussy-ya, tell her what's going on, if you can't get a hold of her, then call Zoro-ya," Law explained. "Okay?" I nodded, glancing at the ground.   
"Hey, I trust you, and I love you," Law said, Law kissed my forehead.   
"I love you too," I muttered as Law stepped passed me and went back to Smoker. Tashigi handcuffed Torao, _my_ Torao. The three of them went out the front door, my stomach lurched, and the nausea of panic was setting in. As soon as the door closed I ran for the bedroom.  
"Luffy!?" Fai called her footsteps following after me. I found Torao's phone on the nightstand I scrolled through his contacts and found Stussy. She didn't answer right away.   
"Trafalgar?" Her voice was soft and almost comforting.   
"It's Luffy," I said. Fai watched me in confusion. "Torao was arrested because of that Mingo guy."   
"By who?" Her voice became much more urgent.  
"Tashigi and Smokey," I answered.   
"How long ago?"  
"Just now."   
"Luffy?" Fai questioned in a whisper.   
"That asshole," she muttered. "Listen, I'll see what I can do, I'll be there by tomorrow morning."  
"Alright," I said. I hung up the phone and put it back.   
"Stussy?" Fai asked.   
"Yep, Torao told me to call her," I said, sitting at the edge of the bed. I didn't know what to do. I should have stopped them. 


	67. Allegation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> just a bit of a warning, I've got my IB exams in the next couple weeks. The 7th through the 23rd of May, so I may be late on an update or just completely lose my shit (especially the week of the 13th) so wish me luck and forgive me for any lazy editing, late updates, etc...  
> Enjoy the chapter, see you next week!

_**♡Law♡** _

I spent the night in a holding cell. Charged with murder. Murder for fuck's sake. I've saved hundreds of lives in my short medical career, I was respected on a global level across the medical industry and I was arrested for _murder._ Not just one murder, no. Here its go big or go the fuck home. I didn't even care about being accused of killing Doflamingo, hell I _was_ guilty of that. But Corazon of all people. Corazon, who raised me, who died over six years ago. Someone from Doffy's family had to be behind this. Stussy covered our tracks well.   
Unless... it was her. I refused to think of that, if it was true I'd find a way around it later. Not right now. Stussy would be here to sort all this shit out soon. The worst part of it was the reporter hanging out at the station when they brought me in. A kid, who I wouldn't have noticed if he hadn't snapped a picture of me as Smoker dragged me up the steps into the station. I'm sure it was published into a paper by now.  
A man was waiting for me when I woke up, granted I didn't sleep very much. An hour here and there, it was hard to tell, there was no clock anywhere near me. The man was tall, with dark curly hair, he wore sunglasses. He closed the book he was reading when he realized I was awake.   
"Trafalgar Law?" He asked.   
"That's me," I muttered. Coffee would be really nice right now.   
"Good, agent Stussy sent me here, she'll be meeting us shortly. I'll be your lawyer, Aokiji Kuzan." Thank god. "This could have been easy, but the press had already announced your arrest locally and the news has spread through the medical industry as well."  
"What does that mean?" I asked.   
"We'll have to go through the legal system, and find a scapegoat," the man explained.   
"Oh joy, that could take years, I'm not going to be locked in a cell the entire time am I?" I asked. Aokiji shook his head.   
"You'll be out on bail, which has been set pretty high, Stussy will pay it off once she arrives."  
"How much?"   
"400 grand," He said. I cringed.  
"I can't have her pay that," I muttered.  
"Don't sweat it, the government got you into this mess and they'll get you out," Aokiji said. That wasn't comforting in the least. There was a clicking of heels.   
"Damn assassins," Smoker grumbled as he came in and behind him was Stussy.   
"Smoker, you arrested Trafalgar?" Aokiji asked.   
"The credit goes to Tashigi for that, but yes, I did, we were sent to," He explained.   
"By who?"   
"Sengoku of course," Smoker said.   
"Figures, that old man sent you because of Dellinger, I've been keeping an eye on him and he's up to something," Stussy said. "Akainu won't like this." I didn't give a shit who those people were, I just wanted out of this damned cell.   
"With all due respect, I'd like to be out of this cell," I interjected.   
"Of course, I already paid your bail," Stussy said, "Well, the government did, I was just the messenger." Smoker unlocked the cell.   
"Your court date is May 5th." _Luffy's birthday._ And months away what the hell? "You'll be allowed to work, to whatever so long as you stay in the Flevance, of course still traveling for work, stay out of trouble and make the court date and they'll leave you alone," Stussy said.   
Why the hell is a court date for two murders so far away? Smoker opened the cell and let me out. I stood from the awful bench, my bones cracking as I did.   
"What happens now then?"   
"Akainu will be getting detectives to prove you innocent, Smoker and Tashigi will make it look like they're investigating you, but they won't be." Stussy cut a glance at Smoker.   
"As long as he's actually innocent," Smoker huffed.   
"He never pulled the trigger," Stussy retorted. "An assassin did."  
"For Doflamingo, Rocinan-"  
"I didn't kill the man who raised me," I interrupted. "Doflamingo killed Rocinante 5 years ago."   
The air grew tense between us. I glared at Smoker, whatever the hell he was detective or no, I was not going to prison for killing Corazon, I'd take full responsibility for killing Doflamingo before that happened.   
I treated Stussy and Aokiji to breakfast. It was the least I could do for them getting me out with a bail like that. I headed home after that. It was still early. No one was in the living room, Fai's bedroom door was closed. She was probably sleeping.   
I silently stepped into mine and Luffy's room. Luffy had the covers pulled tight around him. I decided against waking him up. My phone started ringing on the nightstand. I quickly made my way over to it, more to silence the noise and let Luffy sleep than to answer it.   
It was Kureha. I answered it, leaving the room.   
"Local Doctor Arrested for Two Murders," Kureha said, it took me a moment to realize she was reading something. "Local Acclaimed doctor, Trafalgar Law, arrested for the murder of Donquixote Doflamingo and his brother, Donquixote Rocinante."   
"Dr. Kureha-" I started to say once I was away from mine and Fai's bedroom.   
"I'm not done Trafalgar," She cut me off. "The night of February 3rd, Dr. Trafalgar Law was seen being taken into Flevance police station in handcuffs. Upon further investigation, Trafalgar's bail is set at 400K with a court date set on May 5th." She continued.   
"Just after Christmas, Donquixote Doflamingo, otherwise known as Joker, was assassinated at an annual auction for the black market. The suspects were thought to be extremists behind the Revolutionary movement but recent investigation has brought up an incident regarding Donquixote Rocinante from five years ago-need I go on?"  
"I'd rather you didn't," I muttered into the phone, walking into the kitchen   
"You could have your license suspended for this, actually, you _should_ have it suspended," She scolded.  
"It was a mistake on the governments part, I didn't kill either of them," I said. "And obviously I'm not locked behind bars."  
"You're out on bail, no?"   
"Yes," I answered.   
"I see, I'll need you to stay home for the next week," she said.  
"I have patients-"  
"I know, and your team is well trained. I know you did no harm to those men, but it doesn't matter what I think. I'm doing this for the hospital," Kureha said. "I'm sure they'll go to you when they run into something they can't handle."  
"Yeah," I sighed.   
"Good luck figuring this out," She said.   
"Thanks," I hung up the phone and stared out the window over the sink. It provided a clear view of the neighbor's house on the other side of a wooden fence. "Fuck." I went back to my bedroom, Luffy was still sleeping, I gathered some clothes and showered. When I was done, Fai was in the kitchen making breakfast. I walked into the kitchen as she did. French toast was on the menu today. Fai looked at me confused.   
"Didn't you get arrested last night?" She asked.   
"Yes," I said, sitting at the table as she cooked.  
"Good, 'cause for a minute I thought I was crazy," she said. "Well, what's the word?" I informed Fai of what Aokiji had told me earlier in the day, and what Stussy had told me.   
"Why would they set a court date so far away?" She asked.  
"I thought the same thing," I said.   
"I smell food," Luffy's voice came from the hall. Luffy came into the kitchen and stopped when he saw me. He smiled and hugged me.   
"I told you I'd be fine," I said.   
"Yeah," Luffy said. He let go and sat down next to me. "What's for breakfast?"  
"French Toast, eggs, bacon," Fai answered. I explained to Luffy, not too much later, what was going on with my arrest, an with work, and about the only thing he took from that was that I didn't have to work the entire time he'd be here and I couldn't go see him until after his birthday. Later that night, Penguin insisted we go out. So Fai, Luffy and I met my friends at Shakky's.   
"Law!" Penguin said the moment I walked in, he hooked an arm around my neck, carrying two drinks in his other hand. Just watching him manage that gave me anxiety. Penguin led us to the table he and Sachi had picked out, the others hadn't arrived yet. They got a corner booth, large enough to fit the seven of that there were.   
"I'm glad you're here, we were starting to get weird looks in this big booth by ourselves. Sachi said.   
"I bet," Fai said.   
"Bepo said he was picking up Jean and is on his way," Sachi added. Penguin started asking Luffy about the merch the Strawhats had just released and trying to find out more about the show in the summer. He didn't get much information out of Luffy on it, in the midst of their conversation, Bepo and Jean Bart showed up.   
"Law!" Bepo hugged me the moment he saw me. "When are you coming back to work?" He asked, scooting into the booth next to me.   
"Next week," I said.   
"I forgot you spent the night in jail, how was it? Did ya have to tunnel you're way out with a spoon?" Penguin asked.  
"I spent the night in a holding cell, by myself," I said.   
"How was it?" Penguin asked he was far too excited for about this.   
"Uncomfortable," I muttered. Luffy grabbed my hand under the table.   
"Drinks?" Jean offered, standing from the booth.   
"Yeah, thanks," Luffy said.  
"Me too," Bepo added.  
"Law?"  
"Sure." Luffy leaned against me.  
"You're actually going back to work though?" Sachi asked. "Kureha didn't can your ass after that article?"   
"No, she did tell me I should have my medical license suspended though," I answered.   
"Are you?" Fai asked.  
"That'll depend on the outcome of the trial in May," I said.   
"That's really far away, you'd think a murder trial would be sooner than that," Sachi muttered. Jean came back with drinks, just plain beer.   
"That's suspicious, the whole thing is weird, man, they're trying to pin you for a death that happened 5 years ago too?" Penguin shook his head and leaned against the booth, resting his elbow on the back of it. Luffy pulled out his phone, not really paying attention to anything else. "I smell a conspiracy."   
"Do tell," Sachi said with a grin.   
"Okay, so," Penguin started."When the White Lead first started going around Flevance, they let people evacuate, right?" It was a rhetorical question. Luffy was still on his phone, that was odd, he hardly ever got on his phone while he was out or with other people. There were a few specific occasions of course. "And almost everyone who didn't have it left, except for a few families, one of them being yours." Penguin gestured to me.   
"The government must have figured it out, I mean, from those that stayed, you are the only one that survived," Penguin said.   
"You even have the white spots that the lead causes," Sachi said. Luffy looked up from his phone and stared out at the bar. He looked back down, and back up a few times.   
"I'm not finished, with everything that happened with Doflamingo, they must have figured out your connection and his death was just the final piece for them to get their hands on you, boss," Penguin finished.   
"Love, what's wrong?" I asked, disregarding whatever conspiracy Penguin had. He had tilted his head and started to glare at his phone. I glanced down at his screen, it was a photo of some sort, from the angle he held his phone it was hard to see exactly what of. Luffy didn't answer, he just looked past Jean and at another table in the bar. Jean looked over his shoulder to see what Luffy was looking at.   
"Luffy-ya?" I asked.   
"Traffy, let me out," Luffy said. I scooted out of the booth.   
"What's wrong?" I repeated. Luffy set his phone on the table an started walking towards a table. I glance down at the screen on his phone. It was a picture of us sitting at the booth, it had only been up for a few minutes. There was a caption along with the photo.   
_Looky at who I found at the local bar, I thought the strawhats were in Jaya this month. And he's with that cutie from Shells Town 👀_  
"Shit," I muttered.   
"What?" Fai asked.   
"Lu-"  
"Hey!" Luffy was yelling now, oh great. Shakky was going to call Rayleigh out any minute now. "What makes you think it's okay to take pictures of people without asking?" Luffy had a point, completely valid, that I wouldn't argue with. However, the manner in which he was dealing with this was _bad._ Fai picked Luffy's phone up just as I got up to calm my boyfriend down.   
"Law," Fai showed me Luffy's screen, there was more to the post, a link to the article about my arrest.   
"Oh, for fucks, sake," I muttered. I went over to Luffy, he looked ready to fight. The victim of Luffy's wrath was a girl, who was near the same age as Luffy. She was with a group of friends, a guy, and two other girls. The girl was trying to apologize, but all that left her mouth was stutters.   
"He has a point," one of the girls scoffed.  
"Luffy," I said.  
"If you would have just asked for a picture, it would have been fine," Luffy bit.   
"Luffy-ya, she gets it," I said, reaching for his arm. Luffy jerked away from me.   
"That's just so fucked up," Luffy wasn't shouting any more but he was still being loud. The girl tried to speak again. Luffy mouth to yell again and I grabbed the back of his shirt and pulled him to the door. He obviously wasn't listening and I wasn't about to get kicked out of my favorite bar. That girl looked on the verge of tears too.   
"Torao!" Luffy snapped once we were outside. Luffy stepped around me. I stopped him from going back inside.   
"Luffy, she's heard enough," I said.   
"She posted a picture of you, and it had that dumb article linked too," Luffy's voice cracked.   
"I know," I said. "It's not that big a deal, you don't need to make a scene about it." Luffy looked at me like I was stupid. The bar door opened and the girl came out holding her phone in her hand.   
"I'm sorry," she said quietly. "I took down the post." She stepped closer to us, showing the screen of her phone. "I-I didn't even think about you two when I took the picture, just the likes it would get." She cast her eyes downwards.   
"Thanks," Luffy huffed. The girl put her phone in her hoodie pocket and headed back inside. Luffy looked down at the ground.   
"I don't want to go back inside," Luffy muttered, still keeping his gaze on the ground.   
"Let's go for a walk then, or do you want to go home?"   
"A walk would be nice," Luffy said.  
"Then c'mon, we'll go around the block," I said, taking his hand in mine.   
"Thanks, Torao."


	68. Time

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> just to let you know, this chapter is really jumpy because I don't know how to write this without it having tons of long, drawn out boring scenes in between the important bits so just bear with me, I made the jumps very obvious to avoid any confusion
> 
> Also surprise chapter! (it's may 5th you guess why,) This chapter just seemed to fit the occasion any way (which was not planned.) See ya Wednesday!

**_♡_ ** _**Law** _ **_♡_ **

Luffy went back to traveling the world soon enough. I was relieved when he did. It's not that I didn't want to spend time with him. He just couldn't be here, in this, he shouldn't have to be. Aside from the charges I was facing, and getting back to work, Valentine's Day was right around the corner. Luffy and I hadn't talked about it at all, frankly, I didn't give a fuck about the holiday. The obligation to show affection on a specific day felt completely insincere. If Luffy wanted to do something a little special though, I wouldn't mind it. I'd take any excuse to see Luffy. However, I had no idea how to bring it up into a conversation. So what did I do?  
I texted him, simply asking him if he wanted anything for Valentine's day. His immediate response had been:   
_nah_  
And yet, on the very day, I got a text from Luffy while at work.   
_Something is coming in the mail for you today, I hope you like it, Fai told me you like dark chocolate the best_  
 _Happy Valentine's day Traffy, love you 💕❤💖_  
I stared at the phone screen, not sure what to say or do. Hadn't we agreed not to do anything for today?   
_love you too,_  
 _But you really shouldn't have gotten me anything,_ I replied. Luffy responded almost immediately.   
_I know_  
I signed and put my phone back into my desk drawer and went back to the paperwork I was still trying to catch up on. That week had been far more stressful than it should have been. Now i had something to keep my mind off the charges and the trial. For the most part, the chatter of that stupid article had died down. There was a knock on my door.   
"Yo, boss, the OR is ready when you are," Sachi said. I nodded.   
"I'm on my way," I finished what I was writing and headed to the operating room to remove a tumor from the calf of a teenage soccer player.   
I got home late that night, big surprise there, and found Fai in the kitchen, with a mess of papers spread over the dining table in front of her.   
"What's going on here?" I asked.  
"One of my coworkers is writing a story and coned me into reading it. I lost the order of the pages," Fai explained.  
"Oh," I said. "Are the pages numbered?" Fai looked down at the mess in front of her.   
"Yes." She said after a moment. "I'm stupid." She started going through the pages and making a pile.   
"Did anything come in the mail for me?" I asked, going back into the living room.   
"Yeah, coffee table, it doesn't have a sender on it," Fai said.   
"It's from Luffy-ya, he sent me something even though we agreed on not doing anything for today."  
"Awe," Fai cooed.   
"No, now I feel like an asshole for not getting him anything," I retorted.   
"That's because you always get your mark something, no matter what," Fai said, she was in the living room now too. I scrunched my nose at the thought of that.  
"Valentine's Day is so...corprate," I mumbled.   
"That's the way the world spins, dear cousin, you gunna open it or what?" Fai said. I went into the kitchen to retrieve a pair of scissors. The box was large, it came up to my hip, sitting on the coffee table. On top was a pink envelope taped to the cardboard. I cut the envelope free and opened it up. There was a short note inside.   
_I know we said we wouldn't do anything but I still wanted to get you something to make you smile!_  
I did smile at that. I set the note down and cut the tape holding the box closed. I pushed apart the flaps and balloons floated out of the box, three, red and pink, heart-shaped balloons. Fai started giggling.   
"That's so cute," She said, holding her phone up, recording me. "Is anything else in there?" I looked into the box, and there was a giant collection of dark chocolate at the bottom. Cheesy, heart-shaped container included covered in red and pink tissue paper. I pulled it out. This was going to take me until next Valentine's Day to finish.   
"Keep digging," Fai insisted.  
"Did you know about this?" I asked, pushing aside the tissue paper.   
"Of course I did," Fai hummed. I found a small teddy bear with a hear sewn to its paws.   
"There's more." I set the bear down and dug around some more. Until I found a photo, without a frame. I looked at it for half a second before blushing and shoving it into my back pocket,   
"What was that, Law?" Fai said in a mischevious tone.   
"Nothing," I muttered, is there anything else?"  
"Not that I know of," Fai said, putting her phone down.   
"What are you going to do with that video?"   
"Luffy wanted to see your reaction," Fai said. Of course, he did, the little shit. I texted Luffy.   
_Are you kidding me?_  
I put all the stuff back in the box, save for the balloons, which I had no idea what to do with, and took it all to my room. Luffy texted back.   
_did you like it????_  
I set the box on top of my dresser and pulled out the photo again. It was a picture of Luffy, near naked and in an extremely sexual pose.   
_Well now I just want you in my bed,_ I replied. I glanced at the picture once again.   
_aw, now i want you too_  
 _Did you like the other stuff too???_ I hid the photo at the bottom of my sock drawer and replied.   
_Yes._

* * *

It wasn't until the start of March that I heard from Smoker and Tashigi again. They called me in for questioning. Wasn't that supposed to happen before I was arrested? I had no damned clue. Stussy, Aokiji, and I spent a lot of February formulating a story to tell without holes in it. I went down to the police station to meet them. They lead me into an interrogation room and left me there for a good twenty minutes before Tashigi and Smoker came in Tashigi had a file in her hand and a voice recorder. She set it down and pressed record.  
"Our conversation is being recorded, are you okay with that?" She and Smoker sat on the opposite side of the table from me.   
"Yeah."  
"Your file is very strange, Trafalgar. There's no record of any sort between your birth and when you were 13. Why?" Smoker asked.   
"Probably because it burned with Flevance," I answered. That part I didn't have to makeup, most of the story was very true.  
"And it was Donquixote Rocinante who became your legal guardian after that?" Tashigi asked.   
I nodded, then remembered I was being recorded. "Yes."  
"Five years ago, Rocinante was found outside a mountain town, having been shot and killed, you were 19?" Again, I nodded.  
"Yes."  
"Walk me through what happened that night."  
"That's, is a long story," I muttered. This was the part that we had discussed very little about. Partly due to the fact that Stussy and Aokiji knew very little about it, and partially because I didn't do anything illegal in this part.  
"I'm listening."  
"Doflamingo had a network of suppliers, they ran into trouble with outsiders a lot, when they did, Doflamingo sent Rocinante out to deal with them. One of them, Rocinante came and it was like something had changed, he was different. I don't know exactly what happened." That part was a lie, Cora and a supplier killed Ace. "After that Rocinante started to disregard orders. Eventually, the two of us were going to take off, get away from Doflamingo. Some fantasy that was." I paused for a moment, considering my word choice. If I came off as too detached, which I usually did, they wouldn't believe me.   
"We were hiding out in that mountain town, Doflamingo found us he cornered us near an abandoned building, and Rocinante pushed me inside it. He was shot and killed just outside that door." I finished, staring down at the table and trying not to remember the sound of the gunshots or the way Vergo pinned me down inside that building.   
"What were you doing while that happened?" Tashigi asked.  
"One of Doflamingo's lackeys were waiting for us in the building, he pinned me down," I explained.   
"So you had a motive to kill Doflamingo," Smoker interjected.   
"I guess you could say that, except I'm a doctor so I prefer to save lives rather than take them," I stated. Smoker glared at me. "Even if I don't think they deserve it," I muttered.  
"Then what were you doing in Logue Town from December 23rd to January 1st?" I rolled my eyes at that.   
"It was Christmas, I was spending time with my boyfriend and his family," I said.   
"Your boyfriend would be?" Tashigi asked.   
"Monkey D. Luffy."   
"Right, and can you tell us your whereabouts on the night if December 27th?" Tashigi asked. This was the part where I had to call Sabo and talk to him and Koala. They, of course, couldn't admit they were at the auction either.   
"I was with Luffy at his brother's and sister-in-law's house."   
"That's not a very solid alibi," Smoker commented.   
"Well, Sabo and I aren't exactly friends, if that helps," I said.   
"It might," Tashigi said. "Thank you, Dr. Trafalgar, that's all we need for today, you understand we must make some follow-ups?"   
"Of course," I said.   
"Thank you for your time, you're free to go," Tashigi stood and lead me out of the room and the station.

* * *

My phone, it was rining. Very loudly. And at an unreasonable time in the morning. That horrid gap between 3 am and 5 am where it'd be unreasonable to go back to sleep. I ignored it the first two times it rang. If it were so damned important whoever was calling could leave a fucking message. When it rung a third time I gave in.  
"What the hell?" I grumbled, not caring who it was at this point.   
"Torao!" Luffy sounded on the verge of panic. That woke me up.   
"What's wrong?" I asked, sitting up in my bed and throwing off all the covers. I don't know what I intended to accomplish with that.   
"Have you gotten any messages from people you don't know?" Luffy asked, speaking quickly his voice shaking. I checked the notifications on my phone, nothing out of the ordinary.   
"No, why? What's going on?" I asked.   
"There's an article, I'll send it to you," Luffy said, he sounded a little calmer now. Moments later I got a link from Luffy. It was an article all right, with a title so ridden with clickbait I cringed. _Star Street Performer Strawhat Luffy dating the infamous serial killer, Surgeon of Death?_  
Who the fuck found that epithet and why? That can't be a coincidence. I hadn't even been convicted, nor had I done anything to put me into the category of serial killers, hell I hadn't even been convicted.   
"Torao?" Luffy said. I skimmed through the article, it was more of a blog. It had been three weeks since that interrogation and that is the only thing I can think of that would spread like this was the interrogation. I didn't peg Smoker or Tashigi as the type to leek information like that.   
Then again maybe it wasn't them. Maybe what had seemed like another branch of the government from the conversation Smoker had with Aokiji when I was arrested, had something to do with it. Or even Dellinger. It had to be...  
"Torao?" Luffy repeated more hesitantly.   
"You okay, Love?" I asked.   
"Yeah- just, Traffy, you'll tell me if you get any messages, right?"  
"I'll send you screenshots if you're that worried," I said.   
"That would make me feel better," Luffy agreed.  
"It's done, if I get anything weird I'll send it to you immediately," I laid back down, relieved.   
"Thanks."   
"Anything for you," I said. 

* * *

  
It was later that week that I got the first random message from one of Luffy's fans, at least I assumed that's what they were. It baffled me that people had such little regard for others privacy. It wasn't demeaning or anything of that sort. But it was weird as fuck.   
_How did it feel when the light left Donquixote's eyes?_  
The only connection this user had to Luffy was the profile picture of his strawhat. I wouldn't dignify that message with a response, as I had promised Luffy, I took a screenshot and sent it to Luffy.   
_What the fuck?_ Had been his immediate response, followed by, _Are you going to respond to that_  
 _No,_ I replied. _What would I even say?_  
 _I dunno_

* * *

"Your alibi checked out," Tashigi said, haphazardly tossing a file onto the table between us. It was just her this time around. "Congratulations, Trafalgar D. Water Law, we have nothing to pin you to Doflamingo's murder, on the other hand, the only thing keeping you innocent of Rocinante's death is your own word. It's hard to believe a man would kill his own brother."   
"Harder to believe that a kid killing his only living guardian?" I retorted. Tashigi pursed her lips together.   
"Every other witness you claimed to have been on the scene that night are criminals, that's very convenient for you," Tashi sat down across from me.   
"If I had known I was going to be investigated for murder I would have recorded it," I retorted. Tashigi glanced at the mirror near us, It wasn't a secret that Smoker was on the other side. Tashigi sighed.   
"What kind of work did you do for Doflamingo?" She asked. I glared at her. A lot of that had been illegal. And a lot of that had been when I was a kid, and it had been forced upon me. I wasn't sure where the boundaries were for those kinds of things.   
"I'm not answering that," I decided.   
"We understand that your actions under Doflamingo weren't of your own will," Tashigi said.   
"Not buying that," I muttered. Kinda wishing Aokiji was here.   
"Very well," Tashigi said. She took her things and left the room. I must have been there for half an hour or so before Smoker came in. If this were a tactic to intimidate me, it wasn't working.  
"What kind of wound did you get in your shoulder?" He asked.   
"I didn't?" There were no hospital records of that gunshot, no way in hell did he know about it.   
"You favor our shoulder, careful to make sure nothing comes into contact with it," Smoker explained.   
"My shoulder has been sore since I helped Luffy move in with me a few weeks ago," I lied, I hadn't carried any boxes then. "That's not a wound." An injury, sure, not a wound.   
"What kind of injury is it?" Smoker asked.   
"Just strained muscle," I said.   
"Why don't you lift your arm above your shoulder?" Smoker suggested.   
"That's not exactly easy," I said.  
"It's not that bad, I've strained my shoulder too, Trafalgar," Smoker stated. I sighed and lifted my arm as he asked. Pain burned through my shoulder, it shouldn't open the wound, the extra hole in my shoulder was healing quickly. Still, it hurt, I winced and put my arm back down.   
"Satisfied?" I asked.   
"I suppose," Smoker stated, finally taking a seat in the chair Tashigi had been in.   
"There are several times you've been filmed on security cameras on the train to Dressrosa that past few months, care to explain." I was wondering when that was going to be brought up. I had a plan for that too.   
"Doflamingo threatened to hurt Luffy if I didn't go back to working with him, that's what that is," I stated."  
"Why not inform the police?" Smoker asked.   
"They've done such a good job at taking down Joker," I stated. "I wasn't going to risk my mark getting hurt."   
"He ever ask you to kill someone for him?"   
"Yes," I said.   
"Did you?"  
"No," I said.   
"How'd you get out of that?"   
"Doflamingo was assassinated at the auction, I didn't have to," I said.   
"If you were working for Doflamingo, why weren't you there?" Smoker asked. Another thing Stussy and Aokiji had been very thorough in being sure to cover up.   
"I was supposed to be, that was part of the reason I was in Logue Town, a very small part. Doflamingo told not to go the last minute."   
"Interesting, Sabo had said you had a work thing that night you had to go to," Smoker was very clearly lying.  
"You seem to be contradicting yourself, Tashigi told me my alibi checked out," I recalled.   
"Your story is a little too perfect Trafalgar," Smoker commented.   
"That's because I didn't do it," I retorted.   
"Then who do you think did?"   
"Doflamingo had a lot of enemies, it could have been anyone in the black market," I stated. All this was, was them desperately trying to reveal holes in my story. It was ridiculous. There were three, fairly brilliant minds enforcing my innocence. 

* * *

The court process had been long a grueling Smoker and Tashigi had a good lawyer, I couldn't recall his name, they had very little evidence to convict me. No murder weapon, they couldn't place me at the scene, they had plenty to give me a motive though. Aokiji's argument was clearly superior. Luffy and Stussy had been there, spectating, along with Bepo, Sachi, Penguin, Fai, Jean, and even Kureha. Luffy had flat out refused to do anything for his birthday until after the trial which took most of May to get through. In the end, of course, I was found not guilty. I almost didn't believe it when the noise of the gavel sounded across the courtroom. Luffy all but clapped and cheered when it was over, I'm sure I had Fai and Sachi to thank for that. Afterward, I found myself at Shakky's with Luffy and my friends, rounds of drinks to celebrate. I hadn't grasped how much the weight of this case had taken its toll, not just on me, on Luffy, on Fai, on my friends. Aside from the first time Luffy and I slept together and the New Years I spent in Logue town, that night had been the most drunk I had ever been. I couldn't remember what happened after Fai, Luffy and I went home either.

* * *

"Okay," I said. "Just keep going straight, I won't let you fall."   
"Torao, where did you even bring us?" Luffy asked, blindly stepping forward. I was walking right behind him, covering his eyes. I didn't trust him to keep his own eyes closed. It was dark out which was absolutely perfect for the grassy hillside I brought Luffy to.   
"Okay, stop," I ordered. Luffy did as I asked.   
"Can I look now?" I uncovered his eyes. I had wanted to bring him up here since we went ice skating at the pond. Then it had been too cold, and winter always brought a bitter wind to blow over this hill constantly. That felt like years ago. Above us was a starry night sky illuminated with a half moon and the milky way, struggling to claim its place in the universe against the light coming off the town. Below us was Flevance, dotted with lights and the vague outline of the ocean behind it. Only distinguishable by that unstable reflection of the moon in the choppy water.   
"Oh," Luffy hummed. There was more yet. I had come up here just after I got off work, inspired by the surprise Luffy had given me for my own birthday, I had a picnic set up. Luffy hadn't noticed that yet. I wrapped my arms around him and rested my chin on his shoulder.   
"Happy Birthday, Love." True, his birthday had been two weeks ago, and we had celebrated it with my friends and Fai just yesterday, but I had yet to give Luffy his present. I'm sure Luffy had celebrated with his own friends already too.   
"Torao, we already celebrated that," Luffy said, leaning back against me.   
"Yeah, but I still haven't given you your present," I reminded him.   
"I don't need a present, you being with me instead of in jail is enough," Luffy said.   
"Not enough for me," I said. "C'mere." I grabbed his hand and lead him to the picnic blanket just a few feet from us.   
"Food!" Luffy gasped, he let go of my hand and eagerly opened the basket. We sat down and ate, Luffy talked about the summer show the Strawhats were going to put on for the Pirate Festival. This year it was going to be in Saboady. Luffy was really excited about it. It was in just over a month, the 21st of June. I hoped I'd be able to get time off to go see him. Not just because of his show either, the 21st was the day we started dating too.   
"Neh, Torao, you know what else is next month?" Luffy asked, nudging my side. I feigned ignorance.   
"What?" I asked.   
"It'll be a year on the 7th since we met." Luffy leaned on my shoulder.   
"You remember the date we met?" I had thought he was going to say the day we started dating.   
"Only 'cause it was the day we landed in Flevance and my plane ticket has the day on it," Luffy stated.  
"I didn't know that was the same day you landed," I muttered.   
"Shishishi, now you do!" Luffy kissed my cheek.   
"Hey, you ready for your present?" I asked him.   
"Yep." I kissed him.   
"Wait here." I stood and went to the car. I returned to Luffy with the box, neatly wrapped and set it in Luffy lap.   
Luffy tore open the paper to reveal a shoebox. He opened that up. Bright red figure skates were inside. I had custom ordered the pair months ago, and I considered hanging onto them until Christmas, but now just felt right. Luffy grinned.   
"You're awesome, thanks," he said.  
"You're welcome," I said.   
"Too bad it's May and I can't actually use them yet," Luffy sighed.   
"Next winter, Love," I assured. Luffy nodded and set the skates back in its box. Luffy set the box aside.   
"Hey, Torao," Luffy wore a grin that has mischief embedded into it.   
"What?" Luffy jumped on me, knocking me to the ground and straddled me. He took my face between his palms and kissed me.   
"Well, that was abrupt," I grumbled. Luffy just smiled.   
"My boyfriend is really cool," Luffy said.   
"If you say so," I muttered.  
"Well, I do, so there," Luffy kissed me again. 


	69. Festival

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ahhh I almost forgot to update today cause I was taking a fat nap after I finished my history exams. Bio testing is tomorrow but lucky me took chem!   
> if youre confused on Luffy's outfit, it's that weird-ass onesie thing he wore in the Hand Island Adventure movie   
> Enjoy this is thicc chapter

_**♡Luffy♡** _

"Again," Robin demanded. She was relentless!   
"Awe, Robin can't we have a break?" Usopp asked.  
"No," she said, she went to her phone an restarted the music.   
"From the beginning," she said. The first song of our performance started and so did we.   
We were trying to string together all of our songs. We had 4 in total, our performance was going to be close to 10 minutes long. We got through the first two song sections. Robin checked the video recording and studied it.   
"Luffy you're still late on the transition, Sanji, and Nami too," she said. "Brook, work on making yours smother, you're stiff. Zoro its 16 count sets, not 17. Usopp, smother on the first and third 16 of the second set. Jimbei, you're still half a count behind after the third 16 on the first set. Franky, you're too stiff in the entire second set."  
Chopper got up from his corner of the room and made his way to the door.   
"Chopper needs to be taken out, I think that's a perfect time for a break!" Usopp declared.   
"I suppose," Robin agreed, glancing at Chopper.   
"It so damned hot in here," Nami huffed, heading outside the studio. It was really hot in here, I pulled off my shirt an dropped it next to my water bottle. The festival started tomorrow and we'd perform the last for their opening night, then, we were performing the last night too.  
Over the months' Pirates had put a lot of hype onto us and I wanted to blow their expectations out of the water. Robin was doing a really good job at that, she was using styles of dance the Strawhats had never used before and things that we hadn't done in a long time and it was coming together well.   
My phone started to ring. Torao! I've spent so much time practicing I don't even remember the last time I was able to talk to him.   
"Hi, Traffy," I said with a smile, I sat down on the floor of the dance studio.   
"Hi, Love, what are you up to?" Law asked.   
"Practicing."  
"No surprise there," Law retorted with a small sigh.   
"Shishi, I can't wait for you to come see us," I said.   
"About that..." Law muttered.   
"What?"   
"I won't be able to make it until the 22nd or really late tomorrow. It's the timezone thing, I didn't even think about it, your almost a full day ahead..." Law muttered.   
"Oh, that's fine, were gunna perform the last day too, so you'll see it then, plus, I'm just glad I'll get to see your face!" I said.   
"You're so cheesy," Law muttered.   
"I don't care." Usopp and Nami came back into the room with Chopper close behind.   
"Okay, everyone, from the top, we'll take it all the way through this time," Robin said.   
"I gotta go, love you!" I said.   
"Love you too," Law said before I hung up. We went back to dancing.   
We headed back to our rooms late, all sweaty and tired.   
Where were staying was weird, it was pretty much a really big house, we all had our own rooms, of the 9 we had, 7 of them were being used. It was a place Pirates had let us use for the festival.   
"I'm starving," I huffed, throwing my stuff on the nearest surface and collapsing onto the couch.   
"I'm not cooking," Sanji sighed, collapsing onto the couch next to me.   
"Pizza?" Zoro asked.   
"Hell yeah!" I agreed.   
"Netflix?" Nami asked.   
"To quote Luffy, 'hell yeah'," Usopp agreed. Nami started searching for a movie while Sanji ordered pizza.   
"What kind of movie do you feel like watching?" She asked.   
"I'm kinda in the mood for horror," Zoro said.   
"Oh, me too," I agreed.   
Nami looked around to others who, for the most part, agreed. We watched a few horror movies and ended falling asleep through the last one. All of us fell asleep out in the living room, the TV playing throughout the whole night. I woke up to an alarm. At first, I thought I'd had been mine, I reached for my phone and found it was not mine. Somewhere next to me, I felt Sanji moving on the couch.   
"What the fuck, Sanji?" Usopp grumbled from the floor. The alarm turned off and I felt Sanji leave, I rolled over and went back to sleep. Another alarm went off a while later, I didn't know who it belonged too. Then another, and another, then, when it came time to actually be awake, several alarms went off all at once, waking up even Zoro.   
I stretched and sat up. The smell of cooking food filled the air. I followed it into the kitchen.   
"Ah, that smells good," I said when I saw Sanji cooking.   
"I'll be done in a few minutes," Sanji said.   
Later, we headed over to Saboady Park. The place was filled with people and we were recognized and people stopped to talk to us and asked for pictures as we went through the crowd.   
"I didn't think about getting recognized..." Nami muttered.   
"We might need a disguise of some sort for later," Jimbei noted.   
"Everyone's attention will be on the stage sunglasses and hoods will do," Robin said.   
"Are you sure?" Jimbei asked. Robin nodded.   
"Of course, our audience would be looking for us in the audience," she assured.   
"Robin's smart, she knows what she's talking about," I said. Jimbei nodded.   
"We've got plenty of time to kill, let's get on some rides," Usopp suggested.   
"Oh, the rollercoaster," I said.   
"What about Chopper?" Nami asked.   
"He's coming with us," Usopp stated. We got in line for the ride. We spent the whole day going on rides and playing games. We took goofy photos in the photo booth, trying to fit as many of us as possible. We managed to get 8 of us in a single frame at one time. It was just starting to get dark when we went to the festival. It was close to the Ferris wheel, a stage was set up and loads of people were around. There were all kinds of street performers between vending stalls and music was coming from several different places. Saboady Park was always really packed, but I had never seen it like this before. The first performance was getting started as soon as we got to the stage but we didn't have time to watch, instead, we went to the RV cluster parked behind the stage to get ready.   
"Usopp, you've got Zoro, Sanji, and Luffy-" Nami started.   
"Why don't you ever take Luffy?" Usopp retorted.   
"You're patient," she said. "Robin, get Brook, Franky, and Jimbei, I'll make sure Chopper's ready."   
"Hurry up and get changed we've only got an hour," Nami said. After an hour of getting ready, which was always boring. Usopp spent half the time making sure I had fluorescent face paint in the right spots on both me and my clothes.   
"All done," Usopp said. "Sanji!" I got out of the way and Sanji took my place in front of Usopp. Robin came inside the RV, she had stepped out earlier.  
"Luffy, there's someone outside waiting for you," she said.  
"Luffy If you mess up the makeup I'll tie you to this damned chair," Usopp warned, I didn't really listen to him. Who could possibly be outside? Torao and Sabo were busy today...I stepped out and looked around. The RV had become so stuffy yet I didn't realize it until I came out. I looked around and found Law standing by the RV with his hands in his pockets, under a light that had been set up just outside the RV. Music echoed from the stage and lights glared from it too, all that was in the opposite direction of us though.  
"Torao!" I smiled and moved to hug him but he wouldn't let me.   
"You're covered in... paint?" He stated.   
"Oh, yeah," I said, looking down at the red onesie I wore. "Hey, I thought you said you wouldn't be able to get here until way later."  
"Yeah, I did," Law took a step closer to me. "But when Bepo offered to cover for me, I was gone before lunch." Law took another step and he was mere centimeters from me.  
"Oh." Torao tilted my chin up and brought our lips together. I had been around a month since I last saw him. And that was so long ago. I needed him closer to me, but the only part of him I touched was his lips. I really was covered in paint. It lined my jaw and cheekbones, my nose, covered the outer parts of my arms, lined my collarbone. Handprints were on my clothes, resting over my chest. Law pulled away, he took with him a neon green smudge on the side of his nose.  
"Oops," I rubbed the smudge from his face. "Better be careful, Usopp might strangle you if you mess up my make up."  
"I'll take my chances," Law kissed me one more time.   
"Hey, guess what?" Law asked after we had parted again.   
"Hm?"  
"After your performance, I have a dinner reserved, and a hotel for tonight If you're up to it."  
"Really?" I couldn't stop the huge smile on my face even if I tried.   
"Sure, I know dinners are boring and typical dates-"  
"Torao, food is food."  
"That a 'yes' then?"   
"Yup," I smiled and stood on my toes to kiss him. We were torn apart by none other than Usopp just a second later.   
"You're going to smudge his makeup!" Usopp snapped, pointing an accusing finger at Law. "I spent the good part of an hour on that when it should have taken 10 minutes. Stay two feet apart until the show is over." Usopp turned to me and observed my face paint. He rubbed his thumb against my nose and turned back to Law.   
"Two feet apart," he grumbled.   
"C'mon, we've got five minutes before they announce us," Sanji said. I grabbed Law's hand and followed the others to around the stage. We split up and found our way into the audience, Jimbei was with Torao and me.   
"You're starting from the audience?" Law asked I nodded.   
"Pirate's doesn't even know what we're performing," I Jimbei said. The performance came to an end and the lights went dark as they cleared off the stage.   
"Really?"   
"Yep, and it was all Robin's idea," I added.  
"You okay by yourself?" I asked him.  
"What would you do if I said 'no'?"  
"Find Marco to hang out with you," I said. Law chuckled and shook his head.  
"I'm fine, Love."  
"Okay," I kissed his cheek. The MC lady was on stage when the lights came on and hyped up the crowd, projecting our logo onto the backdrop of the stage and play snips of some of our really popular videos.   
"Give it up, for the Strawhats!" She shouted, roaring up the crowd. I grinned, their energy was festering even through the ground. I bounced back and forth between my toes and heels. We've never had a live audience this big.   
"Ready, Jimbei?" I asked. He nodded. The lights went off and were replaced by black lights which scrapped over the audience too, drawing attention to any flashes of fluorescent color. The music started up and the crowd roared in approval. Usopp, Robin and I had done a great job at picking out the music. I pulled my hat from the inside of my onesie, it wasn't my actual hat, no. This one was neon yellow with a neon pink band around it. I kept it tucked under my clothing while the crowd started to become quiet.   
_[1]First thing's first, I'ma say all the words inside my head._  
 _I'm fired up and tired of the way that things have been_  
That was my cue, I pulled out my hat and spotted Sanji in the crowd and tossed it to him.   
"See ya," I said, running towards the stage. The people around me moved out of the way. Zoro was near the stage, waiting, when I got close he kneeled with his back to me and I used him to launch myself onto the stage. I came to a complete standstill.   
_The master of my sea-_ The music abruptly changed and the only thing I could see was my hat flying over the audience.   
_[2]Hey, once upon a younger year_  
 _When all our shadows disappeared_  
 _All the animals inside came out to play_  
Sanji was on the stage with me now and we moved to the music with the black lights rapidly glazing over us. There was the hat again and Nami was moving through the crowd.   
_Think of me whenever you're afraid-_ The music changed again, this time pausing, Sanji and I froze and Nami came onto the stage with the music starting up again.  
 _[3]All my life I've been sitting at the table_  
 _watchin' them kids, they're living in a fable_  
More loud rumbling from the crowd as the music started to build up and Jimbei was rushing through the crowd, my strawhat finding its way the next person's hands.   
_[1]You break me down, you build me up,  
believer, believer_-Again the music changed as Jimbei took Zoro's place and Zoro joined us on the stage. It was between those three songs, switching back and forth while Usopp joined, then Robin, and Franky, and Jimbei. When we were all on stage, each of us froze, the music came to a stop and a song our long term fans would know all too well started up.   
_[4] I don't do this for the riches_  
 _I'm infected, my condition is I'm always in my head_  
 _These words are my religion_  
 _I'm obsessive by decision_  
The crowd went absolutely crazy with the change, roaring with a peal of thunder that shook even the stage. I moved from the memory of the continuous practice, not putting any thought into my movements. Instead, I found myself amazed at the people who were here for us. _Us._ We did this, made this of all things.   
_[4]Bet you didn't think that I'd come back to life!_ I threw the hat into the audience at the light came off, I didn't have a clue where it landed. I stood there on the dark stage gasping for breath, sweat covering my body. I didn't even think to move when I heard everyone's footsteps behind me.  
"Let's go," Zoro muttered, pushing me along, and off the stage. We went behind the stage, and back into the RV. We were the last group to perform.   
"Whoo!" Usopp cheered. "We've gotta celebrate!"   
"The old bar we used to go to sound like a great place," Nami suggested, she was just as sweaty and out of breath as I was. Chopper barked and wagged his tail, jumping on us.   
"Aye, Luffy, look at how far we've gotten," Zoro said, wiping off some of the paint from his face. there was a knock on the RV door. Franky answered it.   
"Traffy!" I yelled, pushing past everyone to get to him. I kissed him before he was even properly in the door, wrapping my arms around him.   
"An now I'm covered in paint."  
"Hey Law, you've gotta come celebrate with us," Usopp said, followed by several cheers.   
"I had planned on stealing Luffy-ya away for the night," he said.   
"I'd say a round of drinks is a perfect way to celebrate," Zoro said, giving me and Torao solo cups half filled with scotch.   
"I won't say no to that," Nami agreed. Within moments everyone had a filled cup.  
"Cheers!" I shouted, and the others followed suit. I chugged down the drink. Law looked at his and drank most of it.   
"C'mon Law, you need to at least finish it off you're going to run off with Luffy," Nami insisted.   
"I am driving," he said.  
"Damn, all right, but only because I want to get Luffy back by tomorrow," Nami sighed, she took the cup from Law  
"Nami-ya, can I get a key to the hotel?" Law asked as I started heading out the door.   
"Sure, but it's not a hotel, more of a borrowed house," Nami explained. "Robin do you have the other key?"  
"I do," Robin confirmed. Nami dug into her bag sitting on the counter, which was crowded with other bags and makeup.   
"Here," Nami said. Law pocketed the key.  
"Ready?" He asked me.  
"Yup, see ya!" I called to the others, the waved their goodbyes as we left. Marco was coming up to the RV as Torao and I were leaving.   
"Hiya, Marco," I said.  
"Hey Luf," Marco greeted.   
"You guys were amazing," Marco said. "I was a little worried when you weren't on stage right away."  
"Thanks, you should tell everyone else that too," I said.   
"I intend to," Marco said.  
"Okay, see ya," I said. Torao and I walked through the park as a lot of people were leaving the park.   
"We've got about an hour before our reservation, wanna go back to your hotel to clean up a bit?"  
"Yes, I'm tired of this makeup," I tried to rub some off my cheek. Law clicked his tongue.   
"You'll only smear it around if you do that," He stated.   
"I just need some to do this!" I wiped the makeup off my hand and across Torao's cheek.   
"You little shit," Law muttered, trying to rub off the marks of fluorescent green I left on him.   
"Torao, you're just making it worse," I told him. He glared at me for a moment but sighed and grabbed my hand.  
"Absolute pain in my ass," he muttered.   
"If you really want me to be, all you have to do is ask, Torao," I retorted. Law looked at me, perplexed.   
"You-"  
"Luffy!" Someone shouted behind us. I turned to see who it was but didn't see anyone trying to get my attention. I turned to Law who was also looking around, I tugged on his hand, wanting to keep going.   
"Luffy!" The person called again, I turned back around and a blonde guy in a mask was pushing past the crowd.   
"Oh."  
"You know that guy?" Law asked I nodded.   
"Hi, Killer," I smiled at him. I hadn't seen him since Kid's funeral. That was a _long_ time ago.   
"It's definitely been a while, how've you been?"  
"Good, really good actually," I said. Torao observed us silently.  
"Oh, I'm glad, how long will you be in Saboady?"  
"Um, I think until the 24th," I said. Killer nodded.  
"We should catch up while you're here, I've actually got something for you."   
"Okay, I'm staying at that really fancy house near zone 40 so stop by whenever, we won't be out on the street much," I said. Killer was quiet for a moment.   
"Oh, okay," he said, "See ya 'round then."  
"Shishi, yep," I started to lead Torao out of the park.   
"Killer is his real name?" Law asked. I shrugged.  
"I dunno, Kid called him Killer, so does everyone else."   
"I recognize him," Law muttered.  
"He's a drug dealer," I said.   
"Oh," Law muttered. "He must be a big deal If I've seen him at those meetings." We finally got to the gates of the park, there was still the huge parking lot to get through though, from here Torao lead the way.   
"Yeah, him and Kid pissed someone off and Kid was supposed to go into hiding or something like that," I recalled. Remembering that felt weird, things were so different then, almost like someone else's life. I didn't dwell on that too long. Law got that distant stare in his eyes he gets when he's thinking.   
"Kid was a mark?" Law asked.  
"Yep, the fourth." Law hummed and turned down a lane of parked cars, stopping at the fourth car down. Law pulled the keys from his pocket and unlocked it. We got in and I gave Torao directions to the place I was staying. It wasn't that bad, we only got lost twice.   
"We don't have a lot of time anymore, we'd better be quick," Law said.   
"Well, it'd be faster if you showered with me," I said.   
"Touché." Torao and I showered and dressed in clothes that were a little fancier than what I was used to. We got back into the car twenty minutes later and Torao drove to a restaurant. One I had never been to, and Kid and I had been to a lot of different places in Saboady. It was one of those places where the chef cooks in front of you, the place was full of people, a waiter took us to a table with a grill in front of it. Cold coals were underneath it. We ordered drinks before the waiter left. The smell of cooking meat overwhelmed the place, making my stomach growl, demanding attention. A woman came to our table in a chef's uniform.   
"Good evening, I'm Cosette, I'll be your chef for tonight," She said with a polite smile, she shook up a small bottle before drinking its contents and lighting a match I didn't realize she had. She brought the match close to her lips and blew fire over the cold coals under the grill. The fire spread over it like a blanket, teasing the edges of the table Torao and I sat at.  
"That was awesome!" I exclaimed.   
"What can I cook for you this evening?" She asked.   
"Takoyaki and Seaking!" I said immediately   
"That I can do, and for you, sir?" She asked Law.   
"Takoyaki, please," Law said politely.   
"I'll be back then," she smiled just before she left.   
"This place is awesome, Torao," I decided.   
"That is why I picked it," he said with a small smile. The waitress came back with our drinks before Cosette returned, she carried a plater with a huge dome lid. She set it on an unoccupied part of the table next to the grill and removed the lid. Uncooked meet sat on the silver plater.   
"Luffy-ya, do you know how to waltz?" Torao asked that seemed a little random.   
"Kinda," I said. "Robin and I had waltzing in one of our performances but she said it wasn't the proper way to do it."   
"Hm," Law hummed, stirring his drink with his straw. Cosette stooped behind the grill and stood back up with a torch she spun it like a baton in one hand.  
"Do you know any ballroom dancing?"   
"Nope, it seems kinda boring," I said. "Why?"  
"I was just curious," He said.  
"Neither of you are afraid of fire are you?" She asked.   
"Shishi, nope," I answered.  
"Good." Cosette stuck one end of the torch into the coals.   
"Do you?"  
"It's the only dancing I do know," Torao admitted.   
"So you'll teach me?" Law smiled at that.  
"If you want me to," he agreed.   
"Yes! Now you can't back out of it!"   
Law laughed. "I didn't intend to, Love." Cosette's torch now hosted a flame of its own, she tossed the torch into the air, it nearly hit the high ceiling. While it was in the air Cosette put the meat over the flames and caught the torch, setting it in a holder that was set up on the table.  
"Oh, I wish I would have known you two were on a date, I could have opened with something a little more appropriate," Cosette said. "I guess it's not too late yet." She pulled another bottle from below the grill and drank it, lighting another match. With what was left in the bottle, she emptied it into the air in a curved motion in opposite directions and blew the fire into the air. Between her and us the flames made a heart shape for less than a second before dissipating.   
"That was so cool!" I said.   
"Have you ever burnt yourself doing that?" Law asked curiously.   
"Plenty of times when I was learning, and still do when I'm not careful," Cosette said.   
"That would be awesome to include in a performance," I realized.  
"I don't doubt it, maybe Robin can work it into your show for the end of the Festival," Law suggested. Just the thought of it had me wanting to run to Robin right this moment. But I was with Torao and that was just a little better than dancing.   
"Yes! Remind me to tell her when we get back," I said. Cosette picked the torch up again and poured oil over the meat, making the fire heating the coals flare up, she waved the torch over the meat and it caught fire, burning until the oil was gone. Cosette returned the torch to its resting place and starting to flip the meat. She got out another torch and lit it.   
"You're a performer at the Pirate's Festival?" Cosette asked. "What group?"  
"The Strawhats," I said proudly.   
"Oh, I've heard of you guys," Cosette said. "I think just about everyone in town has by now."   
"Really?" I asked. Cosette nodded.   
"Pirate's seems to be very proud of you," Cosette said, twirling a torch in each hand and tossing them up in the hair.  
"That would be okay with you right?" I asked. Cosette laughed.   
"I don't own the art of fire," She said, pouring more oil over our food and lit it on fire again. After a few more fire tricks, Cosette set our food on plates and covered them in seasonings and sauces before setting the plates in front of us.   
Cosette slid the top of the grill between the table and the grill and, leaving the hot coals exposed. I took a bit of my food, it was still hot but I didn't care, the smell of all the different food made my stomach growl. It was _almost_ as good as Sanji's cooking. Cosette did a bunch of cool fire tricks through our dinner. Torao and I left, after tipping Cosette really well. We got into the car, it was close to midnight. Restaurants being busy like that weren't so rare in a big city like Saboady, there were always events going on late at night so a lot of places stayed open late.   
Torao pulled up to a fancy looking hotel that was more than a dozen stories.   
"Neh, Torao, what are we gunna do with a whole room to ourselves?" I asked. Law turned to me.  
"Well, I could teach to waltz if you really want, or we can lay together and watch TV, or...other things," Law suggested. I kissed him.  
"Like what?" I asked, with my forehead pressed to his.   
"I'm okay with just about anything," Law muttered, kissing me and biting my lip as he pulled away.   
" _Anything?"_ I asked.   
"I said just about anything," Law murmured. We kissed again. "After we check in." He added.   
"Let's go then," I said. I unbuckled and pushed the door open. We both got out of the car and went inside. It took every bit of self-control I could muster to keep from touching Torao while we checked in, and even more when we were finding our way to our room down the _empty_ hallways and elevator. The place was really nice with elegant wooden archways into halls and slick wooden floors. I wasn't a show-off kind of fancy, more like a sleek and elegant kind of fancy. It reminded me of Torao when he wore a suit and tie, like at the auction.   
Torao let us into our room and I closed the door, careful not to let it slam. It was Torao who had his arms around me as soon as the door closed. He hugged me from behind and kissed my neck as the door closed. I turned to Torao and he pushed me against the wall, kissing my neck again and pushing his leg between mine.  
"Torao," I gasped when he bit just too hard. What was weird is that it felt good, it hurt but I liked it. Is that how Torao felt when I stretched him? It must be.  
"Is something wrong?" Law said against my ear, kissing me more gently.   
"Nuh-huh," I hummed. Torao pressed his lips to my neck again.  
"Say so if something is, okay?" Law pulled away just a little bit.   
"Okay." Law bit on my neck again, balancing that, just a little too painful. Law slipped his hands under my shirt. I pushed him, towards the bed, almost tripping over my own feet, or his. It was all the same. When Law realized what I was doing, he turned us and pushed me onto the mattress, pinning my arms down and kissing me again. There was something oddly arousing in not being able to touch Torao. I had never liked not being able to touch him, that I was sure of. This was different. Torao kissed me, using much more force than he had ever before, biting more.  
I rolled my hips, longing for the friction it created. Law pressed me against the mattress using his hips. That made any movement near impossible. I whined against his lips. Torao growled. That was hot, had he ever done that before?  
If he has I didn't remember. Law started to grind roughly against me. That friction went right to my dick, I got hard fast. Torao let go of my wrists and started kissing my neck again and tangled his fingers into my hair and pulling on his.   
"Torao," I sighed.  
"Louder," Law grumbled against my ear, pulling my head back.   
"Torao!" I repeated. Law pulled away and sat up his eyes grazed over me. He let out a dissatisfied sigh.   
"You're wearing too much," he decided.   
"Then get it off me," I said, lifting my arms up as Law pushed my shirt up. Law dragged his hands over my body. He pulled my shirt over my head and threw it onto the floor.   
"That's a little better, not good enough though," Law decided in a what-are-you-going-to-do-about-this manner.   
Law dragged his fingertips over my body, making goosebumps break out all over my chest and stomach. I hummed as he did. Torao stopped at the waistband of my pants.  
"Damn, babe, I know it's been a while, but I didn't think you were that desperate," Law said.   
"Shut up, you ass," I grumbled.   
"What can't handle teasing?" Law continued. This was ridiculous I wanted Law's dick up my ass, not this.  
" _Torao,"_ I grumbled. Law sighed.  
"Fine, fine," he muttered, undoing my pants and dragging them down. My pants ended up on the floor too.   
"C'mere," I ordered, grabbing Law's shirt and pulling him closer and Law smiled and kissed me. I pulled his shirt from the bottom up, pulling it over his head and throwing it out of the way and wrapping my arms around his neck. I pulled him into another kiss, biting his lips and running my hands over his body, down his back, and to his ass. Law hummed into our kiss.  
"Find something you like?" Law muttered.  
"Mhm." I undid his pants and freed him of the stupid fabric. Law kissed my neck again, moving down to my collar bone biting at my skin.   
"Torao!" I gasped. Law rocked his hips against mine and I couldn't keep from doing the same. Law had much more rhythm that left me groaning and digging my nails into his back. Torao's tongue moved over my nipple and I gasped, grabbing his hair, entangling my fingers in it. He stayed there for a moment before kissing down my stomach. Law's hands were on my thighs as he moved lower, squeezing and caressing them.   
"Love, I don't have any lube," Torao said. I love when he calls me that. He kissed my inner thigh.  
"That's not new," I muttered.  
"I'm just letting you know," he replied, kissing higher. I pulled the covers into my fists when Law ran his tongue up my dick.   
"Traffy," I moaned. I expected to feel his mouth around my dick but instead, it was his hand I looked down at him, propping myself on my elbows. Torao glanced up at me before covering the tip of my dick with his mouth.  
"Oh, fuck," I moaned. I involuntarily thrust towards him and Torao pushed my hips against the mattress. Torao hummed causing me to arch into his touch. Law took my entire dick into his mouth. Torao pulled away and kissed back up my torso, biting at my skin just a little too hard. Torao cupped my face and kissed me, his lips so soft and demanding. We parted and kissed, and parted and kissed and it was all I knew.   
"I love you," I murmured as Law pulled away. I turned into one of his hands. I kissed his hand a brought his fingers to my lips, being sure to completely coat them in my saliva.   
"Love you, too," Law replied, watching me with his lust filled silver eyes. Beautiful silver eyes that were so intelligent. I pulled his fingers from my mouth. Law, without warning, started stretching out my ass. I winced and groaned at the uncomfortable feeling.   
"I know, Love," Law muttered, rubbing my thigh with his free hand. Law added another finger after a while and it started to feel good.   
"Ah," I moaned. Law smirked and pulled his fingers away. He positioned himself over me, and slowly, so fucking slowly pushed his dick into my ass.   
"Torao!" I shouted, my eyes started to water.   
"Mm, louder, Love," Law said. I moaned again for him as he thrust into my ass. He was so damned slow, but I think any faster right now would really hurt. Torao gradually started to pick up the pace until any trace of pain was replaced with pleasure. Torao moaned with his own thrusts. Torao's moans always sounded so hot and demanded so much of my attention.   
"T-rao." I moaned I couldn't even form a sentence.   
"Ah-Torao."   
"Hm?" Law slowed but didn't stop. I moaned as he trusted into me.   
"I want to ride you," I blushed when I spoke and Law stopped thrusting.   
"Do you, now?" Law muttered. I nodded. Law kissed me and slid his hands underneath me.   
"Ready, Love?" I nodded though I wasn't sure what he was doing. Torao lifted me off the bed and held me against him. He set me back down in his lap now. I moaned when his dick went deeper inside me.   
"You sure? Last time you couldn't seem to handle it," Law said with a cocky smirk. I frowned. That sparked something in me I didn't know was there. I pushed Law into the bed.   
"I'm sure," I muttered. I pinned Torao against the bed and kissed his neck, biting harder than he had bitten me. Law started moaning right away. Filling my ears with the noise. I sat back up and started to move.   
"Oh fuck, you feel so good," I said. Torao moaned and his nails dug in my thighs.   
"Torao!" I moaned louder than I needed to, throwing my head back and making Traffy moan.  
Law kept one hand on my thigh, still digging his nails into it. That would definitely leave a mark if the hickeys on my neck and chest didn't.   
His other hand started to move over my dick. I moaned even more and moved faster on Law's dick.   
"Fuck, Luffy," Law moaned and dragged his nails down my leg. I gasped at the pain and Law moaned through his orgasm. I stopped moving and leaned forward, resting my head on his chest, panting.   
"Told you," I said.   
"Keep talking you little shit, we're not done," Toroa said breathlessly.   
"You look done to me, Traffy, prove it." Law sat up and hugged me close to him and flipped us over, laying me on the mattress. He pulled out of me and kneeled at the end of the bed. He took my whole dick into his mouth. I moaned some more.   
I sat up somewhat to see him. Torao growled against my dick as he bobbed his head.   
"Ah, Torao," I sighed. He looked up at me and growled again doing a thing with his tongue I couldn't describe. I moaned as I orgasmed and Torao swallowed every drop of cum save for the bit resting at the corner of his mouth. Torao crawled back onto the bed. I reached up and wiped the cum from his mouth with my thumb. Law grabbed my hand and licked my thumb.  
"You're blushing," Law murmured. Torao reached over me and untucked the blankets. Torao and I slipped under the blankets. I laid down with him, curling up into his warmth. Between spending the day at the park, the performance, and sex, exhaustion really was coming over me all at once. Torao wrapped his arm around me and kissed my forehead.   
"Love you," he said. I think I responded before falling asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey look, song credits.   
> 1\. Believer by Imagine Dragons   
> 2\. The Nights by Avicii   
> 3\. Machine by Imagine Dragons   
> 4\. Stronger by The Score (which was in an earlier chapter, yes that was very intentional )


	70. Almost

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tbh honest I wrote this chapter in like, march? and I only remember writing the ending. anyway, I'm just about halfway through my IB testing, (finished up my Japanese exams today!!) 7/12 tests down, 5 to go! Got my English papers 1 and 2 tomorrow and Friday, then my Chemistry papers 1,2, and 3 next week and that'll be the end of it! After two long, long, years I'll be free of the IB program thank the lord!!   
> okay, rant over, sorry, carry on

**_♡Luffy♡_**  
"That's bullshit, producers just want to see how much money they'd make if they kept the show going," Law argued at the end of the episode. The first of a new season that ended a while ago.   
"Duh, I'd do almost anything for good money," Nami said, crunching on a Cheeto and offering some to Usopp.  
"Both of you shut up, he's alive and this show is awesome," Usopp countered, taking a handful of Cheetos.   
"It's cheap," Law muttered.   
"You liked the show at the start of it," I said.   
"It's still good, just low of the producers," Law stated.   
"All of you shut the fuck up, I'm playing the next episode," Zoro said over everyone. There was a knock at the door.   
"Did we order food?" Usopp asked.   
"No," I said standing from my spot next to Torao. I unlocked the door and answered to see Killer.   
"Hiya!" I greeted, stepping aside and letting him inside.   
"Killer?" Zoro asked.   
"Hey, Roronoa, still killing?"   
"No, found a way out of that," Zoro replied.   
"Still wearing that mask?"   
"You know it," Killer said. Zoro got up from his seat and walked into the kitchen area where the front door was.   
"Want a beer?" Zoro asked from the fridge.   
"Sure," Killer agreed, leaning on a counter.   
"How've ya been, are you still selling?" Zoro asked, opening up both the bottles.   
"Yeah, not as much as I did with Kid around but decent enough," Killer said as Zoro passed him a beer. "I saw you guys at the Festival, you really have gotten so much better than before."   
"You think so?" I asked.   
"Well, look at the crowd you guys drew," Killer stated.   
"That was pretty awesome, eh, Luf?" Zoro commented.   
"Hell, yeah," I agreed. The three of us talked for a while about things that didn't really matter. Long enough that Killer and Zoro finished their drinks. We talked about old things that made us laugh and stupid things. And Kid.   
"I've been going through some more of Kids stuff actually," Killer said.   
"It's been hard to get myself to do that but, I found this," Killer reached into his back pocket and pulled out an envelope that was folded in half. He gave it to me. In the front, my name was written in Kids handwriting.   
There was something heavy inside.   
"How long have you had this?" I asked though it didn't really matter.   
"A month, since I knew I had it," Killer said. "Don't have a clue what it is." The envelope wasn't sealed. I opened it and pulled out its contents. The heavy thing was a key. With it, there was a letter.   
Why the hell would Kid write me something?  
 _I'm_ _not big on letters so_ _I'll_ _get right to the point. I wanted to do this right and_ _I_ _tend to stumble over my words with shit like this so here ya go._  
 _I got us a house babe. (Did you notice the key?) It's not big or fancy but_ _it's something_ _. The address is somewhere in the envelope._  
 _It doesn't mean_ _I_ _expect you to drop_ _everything_ _you have going. I_ _wouldn't_ _ever ask that of you and_ _you'd_ _probably kick my ass if_ _I_ _did._  
That was the entire thing. I set the paper down and opened the envelope again there was a sticky note inside with an address written on it.   
"Luffy?" Zoro asked. I pressed my hands flat against the counter we were standing next to. My mark started tingling, almost enraged. I tried not to focus on it. If I did I'd start to scratch at it.   
Kid had bought us a house? And since he's gone that make it _mine._ What the hell am I going to do with a house?  
I stared at the letter, not reading it. Kid had never even talked about owning a house, hell he hardly let on that he wanted to live with me. I bit my lip when I realized it was trembling.   
"Luf," Zoro said more quietly, he put his hand on my shoulder. When did Kid expect to give this to me? Surely before I left after he proposed to me. Maybe even when we got back to his apartment.   
"Can I?" Zoro asked. I nodded and he took the paper.   
"Well, shit," Zoro muttered once he was done. He set it back down. Killer tilted his head.   
"What is it?" He asked with concern.   
"A house," I mumbled, only the two of them could have heard me. I took the paper and the key and the sticky note and shoved it back into the envelope. I went straight to my room without saying another word. I didn't want them to worry about me or to think something like this bothered me so much. Bothered wasn't the right word though. I closed the door behind me and set the envelope on a table that sat next to the door bed plopping onto the bed. I grabbed one of the pillows and hugged it to my chest, I rolled onto my side and stared at the wall.   
Kid got us a house...  
That just wasn't like Kid. He didn't like permanence or responsibility. But he got us a house. A whole freaking house. Sure, Torao owned the house we lived in, but that was just different. Kidd got that house specifically for the two of us and no other reason. If there was one he didn't say so.   
I ran my thumb over my mark. Should I go see it? As soon as I got the idea a pit of dread sunk into my gut. Not a normal kind though, not like the one I had the day of the auction or when I realized one of my marks died. This one was... _anxious._ My bedroom door clicked open and I knew it was Torao.   
"You okay, Love?" He asked with a gentle voice. The mattress sunk as he sat down on it. He moved closer to me.   
"Yeah," I muttered into the pillow. Law's hand brushed against my arm, making that feeling of dread vanish as he leaned over me. Law kissed my cheek.   
"What happened?" He asked. I turned over and pointed to the envelope.   
"That," I said, turning back onto my side. Law stood and went to go get the letter. He sat back down and I could tell he was reading it when he dragged his fingers over my arm.   
"Oh, shit," Law muttered.   
"I don't know what to do," I admitted.  
"I think you should at least go take a look at it," Law said after some silence. I bit my lip at the thought. "Kid-ya might have left something else for you. Even if he didn't I think you owe him that much."   
"Yeah..." I muttered.   
"If you want me to, I'll go with you, but I really think this is something you should do without me," he added in an afterthought.   
"Yeah," I muttered. Still, I didn't want to go alone. "I'll go first thing tomorrow." I decided.   
"Okay," Law said. He leaned over me and pressed his lips to my cheek.   
The next morning I walked out into the living room to the smell of Sanji cooking. Zoro was up too, he was sitting on the couch with his hair all messy and his good eye was squinting at the wall.   
I had the sticky note in my hand with the address of the house on it.   
"Zoro, would you go with me?" I asked showing him the sticky note.   
"That's the house?" He asked. I nodded.   
"Sure," he agreed. "When?"  
"Right now."   
"You're leaving before breakfast?" Sanji asked.   
"It won't take super long, besides, it looks like you just started cooking so it will be a while, right?"  
"Yeah," Sanji confirmed.   
"Alright, let me get my crap, you driving?"   
"Sure," I said. Zoro got up and went into his and Sanji's room.   
"Where are ya going anyway?" Sanji asked.   
"A house Kid bought for me and him."   
"Shit, what?" Sanji turned his back on the food he was making.   
"Killer came last night and told me," I said.   
"Okay then," Sanji muttered. He turned back to the food he was making. It was started to smell really good and it was making me hungry. Zoro came back out of his room.   
"Where are the keys?" I asked. Sanji opened a cupboard above his head.   
"There," he said.   
"Thanks!" I said. U ran into the kitchen and stood on my toes to reach the keys, bumping Sanji as I did. He sighed and grabbed the keys for me.   
"Here, you hobbit," he muttered.   
"I'm not that short," I retorted.   
"Yes you are, let's go," Zoro said and kissed Sanji just before we left.   
"Law's okay with you going without him?" Zoro asked.   
"He told me to. Besides, why wouldn't he be?" Zoro shrugged.   
"Do you have any idea where we're going?" Zoro asked instead.   
"Nope," I stated. Already typing the address into Google. "But Google does."   
"Kid really never told you about this, not even a hint?"   
"Nuh-huh," I shook my head and pulled into the road, letting my phone tell me where to go.   
"That crazy bastard," Zoro muttered, changing the radio stations until a decent song started playing.   
Finding the house was easy when my phone told me where to turn and all that fun stuff. I pulled to a stop in front of a mailbox that had the address on the side of it. I looked through Zoro's window at it. There was a small front yard filled with overgrown and long since, dead grass and weeds.   
I'm sure it looked nice at one point but the years of neglect left it unkempt and looking uninhabited.   
The house itself looked small. The light gray paint was chipped and cracking. I bit my lip looking at it. No one had touched it in years and it was obvious.   
I turned the car off and unbuckled. I dug the key out from the envelope that was sitting in the center console of the car. Zoro waited for me to get out of the car and to the sidewalk. It was a thin walkway, cracked with dead grass in between.   
Zoro and I silently walked up to the front door. It was a darker gray compared to the rest of the house. I unlocked the door and pushed it open with a loud, angry creek. The door opened into a small entrance area with dark, hardwood floors. Inside to one side was a carpeted living room. The other side opened up to a dining room. The entire house was empty. No furniture or anything else. There was a single side table in the middle of it with a big vase of dead shriveled flowers. Any water that had been in the vase dried up with the flowers. There was nothing to accompany the flowers.  
I reached out and touched one of the flower's shriveled tops. I could almost feel Kid close by. I glanced behind me and Zoro was still standing in the entrance. He was watching me but was more lost in thought than he was actually looking at me.   
I wandered around the house more. There were two bedrooms and a basement there was a fenced backyard just as dry and dead as the front the kitchen reminded me of Torao's. Zoro at next to me on the steps of the back porch. It was big and had a bench that backed up to the house. A table could fit out here for the spring and summer too.   
"Luffy," Zoro said pausing, he dug something from his pocket, keeping it hidden in his fist. "I'm going to ask Sanji to marry me."   
"Really?" I asked. Zoro revealed what was in his hand, a navy blue box for a ring.   
"Yeah," he said.   
"Finally," I snickered. Zoro shoved me with his shoulder.   
"Shut up, dumbass, it's not like you've got plans," Zoro retorted.  
"Yeah, but I've been dating Torao for a year, you and Sanji have been together since forever."   
"Yeah, yeah," Zoro muttered, a light blush covered his cheeks.  
"You're blushing." I poked his cheek and Zoro slapped my hand away. "When Are you gunna ask him?"  
"After the show on Monday."  
"Good, I can stay away from your guy's room then," I said. Zoro shoved me again.   
"Are you guys gunna want to keep traveling like this?" I asked.   
"Of course, dumbass, what else would we do? This is our job," Zoro retorted, shoving me yet again.  
"Hey, I was just asking," I shoved him back.   
"OH!" I gasped when I got the perfect idea.   
"What," Zoro asked. I pulled the house key out of my pocket.   
"Here, for you and Sanji," I offered him the key.   
"Luffy-"  
"What am I gunna do with a house, Zoro?" I asked before he can say anything else. "I'm not gunna sell something Kid got for us, I don't even know how. You and Sanji should take it."  
"You're insane," Zoro muttered.   
"Yep."  
"I haven't even asked him, what if he says 'no'?" Zoro looked down at the step under his feet.  
"Fine, I'll just give it to you as a wedding gift." I decided, putting the key back in my pocket. "And Sanji won't say no."   
"How would you know?"   
"He was going to ask you before the stuff that got us separated," I said.  
"WHAT?" Zoro shouted, jumping to his feet and nearly knocking me off the steps.  
"Oops."   
"Why didn't he after?" Zoro asked, not yelling anymore.   
"I dunno." I shrugged. Zoro sat back down next to me and ran his hands through his hair. "He told me and Nami the night before I left to go see Kid."  
"Why didn't?" Zoro muttered. I'm sure he was talking to himself now though. We sat there in some silence for a little while.  
"Let's go back," I said.   
"Are you gunna get the flowers?" Zoro asked.   
"Yep, there's no point in leaving them here, I want to go visit Kid too." I decided. I've got something to tell him.   
"Am I going with you?"   
"If you want," I said. "You drive this time." Zoro nodded and we got up and left, locking up the house as we did. Zoro tried to get us to the cemetery quickly, but that just wasn't how Zoro worked.  
We got there though. The cemetery in Saboady was huge and there were few gravestones that weren't just plaques in the ground. Kid's grave was marked by just a stone plaque in the ground, the grass curled around it, trying to claim the gravestone as its own.   
Zoro walked through the rows of the dead with me, all the way to Kid's grave, close to the center of the field of grass. I forced the overgrowing grass away from the gravestone.   
"I got the flowers you left me, you ass," I said to the plaque that was hardly a gravestone. Zoro started laughing.   
"That's one way to greet someone," Zoro remarked. I ignored Zoro.   
"I like the house, it would have been really cool to live in with you," I said. Zoro didn't say anything to me, he just let me talk to my dead fiance. I bit my lip before I continued. "I can't live in it though, not without you." I paused. "So I'm going to give it to Zoro and Sanji, Zoro's gunna ask Sanji to marry him."   
"Don't go and blab my business to everyone you know," Zoro muttered.   
"Kid should know why I'm not gunna use the house," I said.   
"I guess," Zoro said. I was quiet for a minute.   
"You're not going to tell him about Law?" Zoro asked after a little while.  
"Guess I should, huh?" And I told Kid about Law and Fai. About the Pirate's Company. The show, Jimbei. I didn't visit the rest of my marks nearly as much as I should. Only when I felt like I really needed to tell them something. Unless I wanted to talk to them, I didn't really see the point in visiting them. Afterward, we went back.   
Sanji had breakfast ready and all the others were in various stages of waking up. Law was sitting at the table reading a book with a cup of coffee in front of him.   
"Torao!" I called. I wrapped my arms around his shoulders and kissed his cheek, bumping the book he was reading out of his hands. Law clicked his tongue out of annoyance.   
"I lost my place." He muttered.   
"Whachya reading?" I asked.   
" _Great Expectations_ ," Law said.   
"That's pretentious of you," Robin commented, coming from her room to join everyone in the living room. Law shrugged.   
"It's probably the only pretentious book I do like, this, and, _Beloved,_ " Law said. They lost me at this point. A book was a book.   
"What's it about?"   
"This book, or _Beloved?_ "   
"This one."   
"A boy from a poor family who gets adopted by a mysterious rich person," Law said, setting a receipt between the pages and closing the book.   
"That doesn't sound very interesting," I muttered.   
"I assumed you wouldn't like it," Law said.   
"Luffy," Sanji set a plate on the table in front of a chair next to Law.   
"Oh! Thanks," I said, sitting down and digging in. "Torao did you eat?" Law shook his head.  
"Sanji!"  
"I know," Sanji said. Sanji made a plate for Torao and set it in front of him.  
"Thanks," Law muttered.   
"Mhm," Sanji hummed.   
"Breakfast is done, guys," Sanji called as he started setting the food out on the table in the center. The others started to gather around the table. Sanji had made plates for Nami and Robin too.   
Our day was boring after that, Sanji went out with Nami and Robin, Usopp went somewhere with Jimbei and Franky, and they took Chopper too. Brook, Zoro, Torao and I stayed in all day. We did have an awesome nerf fight. Sure, only Zoro and Brook had guns and Torao was not amused but that was fun.   
By the time the sun was setting everyone had come back. When they started coming back, Torao had gone into our room, probably to hide from everyone for a little while. He was awfully grumpy today. While everyone was just doing whatever, I went into my to find Torao relaxing on the bed reading his book. Torao was laying on his stomach so I plopped onto the bed and laid on my stomach next to him. I rested my chin on his shoulder an read a sentence or two from a random paragraph.   
"You can't start a book in the middle," Law pointed out with a smirk. "You won't know why they wanna fight the bad guy."   
"There's fighting in this book?"  
"Not the kind of fighting you're thinking of." Law turned the page.   
"Uh, okay," I said, what other kinds of fighting were there?   
"Oi, Luffy," There was a knock on the door.   
"Yeah?" I called out. Sanji opened the peeked into the room.   
"There's a weirdo at in the living room asking for you, Zoro says he doesn't even recognize him. Apparently, you knew him from your home town," Sanji explained.   
"What?" Who the heck would come looking for me here? I got up and went out into the living room.   
"Luffy, I've known him since he was a kid, I think he was 16 when we met." I knew that voice. Terror set into my stomach like hot tar. I stepped into the living room to see the face of Blackbeard. I held my wrists, covering my mark as it began to demand my attention.   
"How did you find me?" I asked quietly. Zoro glared at the guy. Blackbeard shoved his hand into the pocket of the hoodie he wore.   
"It's not that hard to find a big shot like you," he smirked.   
"LUF-" Zoro started to shout. In the process of moving to Blackbeard, he was closer than I was to Zoro. It was too late a gunshot went off, leaving my ears ringing. It wasn't nearly as bad as it had been in that basement. I stood for a moment or two before I could feel warm blood soaking into my clothing. In that time Torao ran out to see what was going on.  
That's odd, it didn't hurt. I looked down and blood was soaking my shirt just under my left arm.   
"Oh," I muttered. I pressed my hand to my side, yes, it was definitely blood.   
"Luffy!" 


	71. Barter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Hey my dudes, I'm posting a day early cus ive got a lot going on tomorrow (my chem papers 1 and 2 and my moms birthday, plus studying for my chem paper 3)  
> this is short and because cliffhangers are fun I'm not gunna post a second chapter this week like I have in the past 😘 (actually I might post a chapter this weekend, depends on how I feel don't hold me to it though)  
> Here's a POV you've never had before!

| ** _D_** _ **ellinger**_ |

"Smiles take time to produce, Doflamingo knew that much," Ceasar grumbled. It was Doflamingo this, Doflamingo that. Constantly. I fucking get it, I had no clue what I was doing.   
"You told me you had enough supply to be selling consistently for years," I said. People feared Doflamingo. They don't give two shits about me. I have all the same connections he did. I just had to use them. They just didn't think I had the guts.   
"If you don't have a stock of Smiles ready for me next week I'll make sure you never see the inside of a laboratory again," I warned. I stormed out of the room and back to the car where Trebol was waiting for me.   
"What will it take to leave Ceasar without resources?" I asked as he pulled into the road.   
"Not much, a lot of people hate him," Trebol said.   
"Good." After an hour of trying to get through Dressrosa's traffick, Trebol pulled into the parking lot of our building. The penthouse didn't offer nearly as much privacy as the house had, but that was in ruins and there was no going back to it.   
"Dellinger," Vergo said as soon as I opened the front door.   
"You found him?" I asked.   
"Yes, right now he's working a town for Kaido," Vergo explained.   
"Kaido won't get mad if I borrow him?" I asked.   
Vergo shook his head.   
"He's just a paid supplier," Vergo leaned back against the couch.   
"Will he work for me?"   
"400 a day was as low as I could get him," Vergo stated. 400 a day. I needed him for one thing, that wasn't too hard.   
"And?"   
"He'll be here tomorrow morning." Would I have to set a bounty for Trafalgar's mark? Screw that. I didn't have time. Law was going to pay. And that guy. Zoro. One of the Strawhats that hat pulled the trigger. Doflamingo wasn't ready to go yet.   
"Good," I said. "What time?"   
"Eight."   
"Where am I meeting him?"   
"Here." I nodded. Better get to bed then. It was already late into the night. I had only been talking to Ceasar this late because he was trying to hide from me.   
I headed to my room and got ready for bed. At least I'd get this out of the way quickly.   
I woke up just before six. I showered and got dressed, brushed teeth, comb hair, made coffee and so on. I made myself breakfast. Usually, there was a cook that made breakfast but she had the day off so I had to fend for myself.   
At 8:09 there was a knock at the door. By then I had the island in the kitchen set up to go over the payments and all the paperwork stuff with Edward Teach. I had heard of this guy mostly from Trebol. He was ruthless and would do anything if the price was right. He was perfect for getting back at Trafalgar Law.   
I opened the door to greet him.   
"You must be Teach, I'm Dellinger, come in." I stepped aside to allow him to enter.   
"You're not the brat I expected to see..." Teach commented. I gritted my teeth. He must be talking to Trafalgar. That prick. Screw that bastard. Even Vergo compared me to him. The stupid shit Law told me didn't change what he did. Even now, everyone seemed to prefer Trafalgar over me. Sure, he was smart and gave out murderer vibes that scared the shit out of black marketers but _still._ He betrayed Doflamingo, fuck he killed him!   
"No, I'm not," I said leading Teach into the kitchen. "You want something to drink?"  
"Nah, I'm good," Teach sat down on a stool at the island, the stool creaked under his weight. I took a seat across from him and brought the papers I had laid out between us.   
"What did Vergo tell you?" I asked.   
"That'cha had a job for me and you'd be payin' me 400 a day," Teach said, leaning against the counter. I nodded.   
"Do you remember a town you worked for Joker about 5 years ago?" Teach rubbed his chin as he thought about that. He slowly started to nod.   
"That was when I had to compromise with a mountain thief, now she was a respectable partner," Teach recalled.   
"Right, and Joker set a bounty on some kids for you to deal with," I added. Teach nodded.   
"I couldn't get both of 'em and that's why he stopped working with me," Teach said. Again I nodded.   
"There was a third one though," I said. All this Trebol had informed me. He wanted to repay Trafalgar as much as I did. Trebol was the only one that preferred me over Trafalgar...  
"I remember that little squirt," Teach rubbed his chin some more.   
"Monkey D. Luffy," I said.   
"Yeah, he's made a name for himself now, hasn't he?" Teach asked. I nodded.   
"I want him dead," I said. Teach smirked.   
"There's no bounty on him, the market won't like that," Teach said.  
"This is much more personal," I said. "He's the mark of the man that killed Joker."   
"Oh," Teach hummed. I pulled a stack of photos I had set aside for this. I laid out a picture of Strawhat, the man in the servant's hall, and Trafalgar.   
"What I want specifically, is for Trafalgar to watch him die. And I want Roronoa dead too. If he has a mark, treat the mark the same as Strawhat, then kill Roronoa. As for Trafalgar, after his mark dies, bring him here, alive."   
"That's a big task, what's in it for me."   
"I'll give you 3 million for it," I said. "But, only if you'll work for 100 a day." Teach smirked.   
"That's something I can work with.   
"Good, you'll be paid a third by the end of today, a third when Strawhat and Roronoa are dead and the last of it when Trafalgar is here," I said.   
"That's a fair deal to me if I ever heard one," Teach agreed.   
"Glad to hear it, we have a deal." I offered my hand. He shook it. I moved the pictures out of the way and laid out the contract for him. Teach took the time to read through it before signing it with the black pen I left out.   
"I can't give you much information, but here's what I do have," I began.   
"Next weekend the Strawhats will be in Saboady for the Pirate's Festival. Trafalgar lives in Flevance and works as a Surgeon at the hospital there," I said. Teach nodded.   
"I doubt the Strawhats will stay in Saboady very long after the festival they move around a lot so the best time to get to him will probably be then."   
"That's plenty of information, you're making my job easy," Teach laughed at that.   
"I just want it done," I said. "I don't care how easy it is or how it's done."   
"Noted," Teach stood from his seat, he took the pictures and a copy of the contract. "Dellinger, you're business is better than Jokers," he said. Teach stood from his chair and started making his way to the door, I walked him out.   
"I would say that," I said. Teach laughed.   
"You're more modest than the guy too," Teach said.   
Teach let himself out and I sighed as the door shut. That was a bit more money than Vergo advised me to spend but that didn't matter in the long run. With the Smiles selling well the money would be nothing in a few months. As long as Ceasar gets me my supply.


	72. Crash

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: hey guys! I decided to do another chapter this weekend cause I've got tons of time with the three day weekend (four for me cause of senior skip day😋.)   
> That, and I finished all my finals with minimal casualties.   
> Anyway I edited this chapter on my phone cause I'm on a little road trip with my family so sorry about anything I missed   
> See ya all Wednesday!

_**♡** _ _**Law** _ _**♡** _

The gunshot made my heart drop. What the actual fuck? I ran out to see what was going on. My mark started burning.   
"Oh," Luffy pressed his hand to his side. He was hit. What the hell did the bullet hit? Liver, small instant, kidney, ribs?  
Who the fuck shot him? Every one of Luffy's friends were frozen, all but Zoro that is, who was already moving towards the assailant.   
"Torao..." Luffy muttered. Zoro punched the stranger who had shot Luffy. Well, he was taking care of that.   
Ignore him. Focus on Luffy.  
"C' mere," I coaxed Luffy into sitting on the floor. "Let me see." Luffy lifted his shirt, getting even more blood on it. I sighed in relief when I saw where the bullet had actually hit him. It grazed his side in an upward angle. Which meant it certainly wasn't _inside_ him.   
"You need a hospital, Love," I muttered.   
"Nami-ya, Usopp-ya! I need a towel, rubbing alcohol and water," I shouted. Luffy was starting to get pale. The two stumbled into action, Nami becoming collected first.   
"Zoro!" Sanji yelled. There was another gunshot. Zoro was on the ground and Sanji ran into the kitchen.   
"Holy shit," Usopp cursed. Nami kneeled down next to me.   
"Usopp!" Nami hissed.   
"No peroxide, but we have vodka," Nami said.   
"It'll have to work," I muttered.   
"Towel!" Usopp said.   
"Love, it's gunna burn," I said. I poured the alcohol over Luffy's side.   
"Fuck!" Luffy cursed.   
"Law!" Robin yelled. Sanji was thrown onto the kitchen counter. "Law, Zoro's hurt bad," Robin called.   
"Jimbei!" Sanji shouted tossing a gun across the room, Jimbei caught it.   
"Careful with that, the police will think you were the shooter," Robin warned.   
"Nami, hold the towel here," I pressed the towel Usopp brought against Luffy's side. "Keep pressure on it- someone call an ambulance!" I got up and rushed to Zoro who was on the floor. Robin had her hand pressed to Zoro's thigh.   
"Shit," I cursed. "Usopp-ya! I need another towel and Chopper's collar!" I yelled. Sirens started coming closer. Usopp brought the things I asked for. I pressed the towel on Zoro's wound.   
"Fuck, Trafalgar, you shit!" Zoro grunted in pain.   
"Robin put pressure here," I said. She put her hand over mine and took over that part. I took Chopper's collar and loosened it. I wrapped it around Zoro's thigh, above his wound and tightened it.   
The sirens came to a stop.   
"Brook-ya go out and get help, they won't come in here unless they know it's safe," I ordered. Chopper was barking and growling viciously.   
Sanji dropped onto the ground between me and Luffy, sliding across the tile and not moving.   
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. The intruder got to his feet and Brook came back in with a string of police behind him.   
"Robin-ya, check on Sanji-ya," I said. Robin nodded and made her way to Sanji just in time for the police to aim their guns at everyone and order us to put our hands up. Zoro wasn't conscious anymore which was not promising.  
"I said hands in the air," a woman snapped at me.   
"He was shot and his femoral artery ruptured if I don't apply pressure he'll die," I said to the cop.   
"Fine, I'll just have to keep an eye on you," she said. There were more sirens outside, please be an ambulance.   
It was, they came in while a cop put the intruder in cuffs. He was the only one of us fresh out of a fight and still standing.   
"Here," I said to get the paramedic's attention. "He needs immediate attention." I didn't think twice about making sure Zoro got help first.   
"Law," Nami called. Shit. I let the paramedic take over and moved towards Sanji, trying hard not to look at Luffy. I didn't need to worry about him at the moment the bullet only grazed his side. He's in danger of bleeding out and Nami was with him.   
Sanji had a cut just below his hairline and he was unconscious, he probably has a concussion. No other noticeable injuries. Worst case he has a broken bone or internal bleeding, or both.   
"Is there another ambulance out there?" I asked the paramedics who were getting Zoro onto a stretcher now.   
"There will be," one called out.   
"Keep an eye on him," I told Robin and returned to Luffy. His skin was pale and the towel at his side was soaked in his blood.   
"You haven't been putting on enough pressure," I muttered to Nami. I pressed the towel to Luffy's side he winced. "Get another towel."  
Nami did as I asked quickly. I replaced the bloody towel with a clean one, dampening it before pressing it to Luffy's wound.   
Another stretcher came into the house. I hadn't even noticed the other going with Zoro. Sanji was getting up.   
"Zoro?" He asked, looking around. Another paramedic came in, carrying a chest of supplies. Another stretcher followed in just a few minutes. The paramedics got Luffy onto the stretcher quickly, the one with the chest was helping Sanji. I was going with Luffy.   
We were out in the street when the officer from earlier stopped me while the paramedics were taking Luffy into the ambulance.  
"Sir, We'll need a statement from everyone here," she said with a voice of authority.   
"Take one from me at the hospital, I'm going with my mark," I snapped. The Paramedics allowed me to get in the ambulance and the officer did nothing to stop it. I watched the paramedic that was watching over Luffy set pulse reader on Luffy's right hand. He cleaned and bandaged Luffy's wound and gave him morphine. He worked quickly and quietly. I stared down at my lap. I was covered in blood. It covered my hands, my jeans, it was on my shirt. Some was Luffy's, most of it was Zoro's.   
"Torao," Luffy said. I turned my gaze to him. "Is Zoro okay?"   
"He should be," I said. That wasn't entirely true. Maybe I should have been in the ambulance with him. The doctor in me told me I should be. Paramedics were good at acting quickly and on the scene but they were no surgeons.   
"Is Sanji with him?"   
"If he isn't than Robin-ya probably is," I said.   
"That's good, he shouldn't be alone." Luffy looked up at the roof of the ambulance. I ran my hands through my hair, momentarily forgetting about the blood that covered my hands. Who the fuck had that guy been? Why did he want to hurt Luffy?  
Sanji had said he the guy claimed to know Luffy...  
"Do you know who that guy was?" I asked. Luffy frowned.  
"Yeah," Luffy said. The next question was already on my tongue when Luffy continued. "He's called Blackbeard I don't know his real name. He worked with Dadan when Ace was still alive." Luffy turned his head to look at me. "He helped kill Ace."  
The paramedic froze for an instant but continued. This conversation would have to continue later. That man must have been a supplier for Doflamingo, that's the only thing that would give him the motive to kill Ace and come back for Luffy. Why now though? My phone started vibrating in my back pocket. I forgot I even had it on me. I dug it out to see who was calling.  
"Your brother is calling me," I said. The ambulance came to a stop as my phone stopped ringing.   
"Oh," Luffy mumbled. The doors opened and I got out first to get out of the way. "Torao, check on Zoro."  
"I will," I assured as more paramedics came and pulled Luffy out of the ambulance and into the hospital. I headed into the hospital while calling Sabo back. Luffy most certainly didn't have his phone, he may be calling because of his baby. Was Koala even due yet? No...it was way too early.   
"Law," Sabo said. "Why isn't Luffy answering his phone? You're in Saboady with him, right?"  
"Yeah, He's hurt," I said. "A man came and shot him, Luffy-ya knew who he was. Luffy-ya's side was grazed. He's not hurt too bad, he should be fine. Zoro-ya got hurt too."  
"Do you know who it was?" Sabo asked, his voice carried more tension.   
"Luffy mentioned the name, Blackbeard." I headed into the ER. In search of Zoro, he probably wasn't there.   
"Shit, shit, shit," Sabo cursed. "You need to get Luffy out of town, and Zoro too if he went after him."   
"Both of them need a hospital, that's where we are now," I said. Like I thought, I couldn't find Zoro. I found Luffy though. I stayed outside his room while I talked to Sabo.  
"Get them both out of Saboady as soon as possible."  
"I'll try but they're still performing in a few days, and you know Luffy," I said.  
"It's not up for debate, I don't care what you have to do, get all of them out of Saboady. He's the reason Ace is dead and the reason for my fucking scars."  
"I can't force Luffy to do anything, I'll try to convince him. But that guy was arrested..." I said. "I have to go check on Luffy-ya."  
"Yep." Sabo sighed. I hung up the phone and went in and sat down in a chair that was next to Luffy's borrowed bed.   
"Zoro?" Was the first thing Luffy asked.  
"I couldn't find him," I said. "He was probably taken into Surgery. Did you get stitches?"   
"Yeah," Luffy said.   
"That's good." I sighed and took Luffy's hand in mine. I kissed the back of his hand. "We can't keep ending up like this. One of us is going to run out of luck and end up dead."  
"Hey, you already died once," Luffy said with a grin.   
"I'm serious," I muttered.   
"I know, but what are we gunna do about it? It's not like we're trying to get hurt," Luffy said. I nodded to that.   
"Sabo-ya wants you out of Saboady," I told him.  
"No," Luffy said without hesitation. "We still have to do another performance and Zoro is gunna propose to Sanji after it."  
"Oh."  
"The morning after we're leaving," Luffy said. I nodded and looked down at the ground between my feet.   
"Sabo-ya was really serious, if it's a matter of your safety, Love-"   
"No, I made a deal, we're not leaving." Luffy cut me off. "I'll make sure we move into a hotel though," Luffy added with a softer voice. I nodded and kissed the back of his hand again. I was getting another phone call. Nami.   
I answered. She asked were Luffy was, I told her. Where Zoro was, I answered that too with the best of my ability. Then she asked where Sanji was and I could only assume he was somewhere close to Zoro. I told her Luffy was fine and they should be more concerned with Zoro. I hung up the phone and a doctor came into the room. He had a chart in his hand.   
"Mr. Monkey," the doctor started. I had never heard someone refer to Luffy like that. It was sounded absolutely ridiculous. Hell, Luffy's last name was ridiculous. The doctor was a short man with a long red nose and silvery gray hair a scar marked his forehead with the red symbol of a doctor.   
"I'm Dr. Kyukyu," the man said. "I understand you've received a gunshot wound just below your ribcage, for precaution we are going to have you do some x-rays."   
"Okay," Luffy said.   
"You were brought in with a Roronoa, Zoro?" He asked.  
"Yeah, he's my friend, is he okay?"   
"He's in surgery, there are police officers waiting to speak with you and your mark if you'd rather not talk to them at the moment I can tell them you're not well enough to be interviewed."  
"It's fine, they can come," Luffy said.  
"Very well, once they are finished you'll be taken by a couple of nurses to be X-rayed," Kyukyu said.  
"Alright, thanks Doc," Luffy smiled. Kyukyu gave Luffy a small smile before leaving the room. The police officers came into the room, they must have been just outside.   
"I'm detective Drake, this is my partner, Apoo," the one with a scar on his chin spoke. "We'd like to take a statement from both of you."   
"Alright," Luffy said.   
"Sir, if you'll step into the hall with me," Drake said to me. I followed him into the hallway.   
Drake asked me about what had happened, whether or not I knew Blackbeard, any reason he had for breaking in. I answered with as much information as I could. Including all of the things that were already investigated during my trial in the spring that were relevant. The fact that I was aware of Blackbeards motive though I didn't know him. And how exactly I was aware of him. Anything I told them about that was easy enough to find through some research though. I said nothing about Luffy's past or his connection with Blackbeard. Drake and I were done well before Luffy and Apoo.   
When Spoon and Luffy were done, both of them left after giving me a card to call if anything else happened or if I remembered something important. I went back to Luffy.   
As soon as I sat down next to his bed a nurse came in a took Luffy to get an X-ray.   
"You're good to go," Kyukyu said. Luffy grinned. "Be careful with those stitches though, since they're on your torso they can easily come out so don't move around too much for the next two weeks."   
"Hang on, I have a show to perform tomorrow night!" Luffy argued.   
"If you want to heal quickly, I suggest you cancel it," Kyukyu said. Luffy frowned.   
"Is Zoro out yet?" Luffy asked instead. I'm sure he already made up his mind about dancing and I'm sure his decision was not in favor of his health.   
Kyukyu checked his watch.   
"If the surgeons aren't behind, Roronoa should be." Kyukyu folded his hands over each other in front of himself. "However, he may not be awake. The nurse has your discharge papers whenever you are ready to check out." Kyukuu left after that. Luffy threw his legs over the bed and stood. He winced and I was at his side.   
"Careful," I chided. I wrapped my arm around him. Luffy leaned some of his weight into me. I helped Luffy to the nurses' station. So he could check out.   
"Help me find Zoro?" Luffy asked.   
"Of course," I said. Luffy and I made our way to the wing of the hospital dedicated to surgery.   
"Where is everyone?" Luffy wondered when we got to the waiting room.   
"Probably in another waiting room," I said. Luffy and I sat down and I pulled my phone out. "Do you want to call Nami-ya?" Luffy nodded and took my phone just as the waiting room doors opened and none other than Nami, accompanied by the rest of the Strawhats, all save for Sanji.   
"Luffy!" Nami gasped, she rushed over to us first. "Are you okay?"   
"Yup, I just got some stitches!" Luffy said.  
"Was Sanji-ya admitted too?" I asked.   
"No, he got into the ambulance with Zoro," Usopp said.  
"Then where is he?" I muttered.   
"If he's not here, he's probably out smoking, Jimbei said. He found a seat across from Luffy and me.   
"Yeah," Usopp agreed, plopping on the seat next to Luffy. A surgeon came from down the hall, his scrubs were spotted with blood. That was no rare sight. He pulled his mask from his face.   
"Roronoa Zoro," he called. Luffy jumped up first, making his way to the surgeon far faster than he should be moving. The surgeon didn't bat an eye at the 9? of us approaching him.   
"Mr. Roronoa has been taken to room 205 we stitched him up as best we could and he's resting now. He should be able to leave by tomorrow morning if all goes well."   
"That's a relief," Nami sighed.   
"When can we see him?" Luffy asked.   
"Right now, though he won't be up for an hour or two," the surgeon said.   
"Thanks!" Luffy exclaimed. The surgeon nodded and said his goodbyes before going back down the hall.   
"You guys go," I'm going to call Sanji," Nami said.   
"Does he have his phone?" Robin asked.   
"I'll find out," Nami said.


	73. Dark

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> no

_**▪**_ ︎ _ **Fai▪︎**_

_Ring_

All I could see was vague shapes in the dark room. Room was an understatement I could feel the vast emptiness of it. The air was dry and dust clung to it. I leaned on something, not a wall, I could feel the emptiness behind me. My hands were bound too, not my feet. Correction, foot. My prosthetic was not there. Fuck that thing was expensive. And nothing covered my mouth. There was someone here too.   
That guy from the parking lot I'm sure. The guy stepped into the light, the moonlight that beamed in through broken windows. I hadn't thought it was there before the guy stepped into the light.

_Ring_

The man was tall, too tall. He wore blue glasses, one lens looked like a scope while the other was normal. If that wasn't weird as fuck I don't know what is. He turned the screen of _my_ phone towards me and Law's contact was there, the photo was definitely not befitting to the moment. Well shit. What the hell did this guy want? Money? Did he have to do with Dellinger? Please just want money.

_Ring_

Please be the one time he doesn't answer his phone. Watch it be Law's fantastic luck that this guy has something to do with Dellinger. That little shit needs some adult supervision. Who the hell let a 17-year-old run an underground business anyway?

_Ring_

"Fai?" Law answered. Stupid, stupid, stupid.   
"Baby 5 is here," the man with the mismatched glasses spoke. Oh, he was sent by Dellinger.   
"Then who the fuck is calling?" Law's voice was on edge. The way he spoke to Doffy when he was being a jackass.   
"I am Van Augur, you probably don't understand, I work for Blackbeard. You know him?"   
"Where's Fai?" Law snapped.   
"She's here," Augur repeated.   
"Let me talk to her."   
Augur held the phone close to me. If I don't speak, Law thinks I'm dead and he'll come looking for the guy who killed me. If I speak, he'll come after me. There's no use.   
"Fai?" Law asked.   
"Hey, Law " I muttered.   
"Fai, what the hell is going on, where are you?" Where ever I was, it was dark. Probably dark outside. The ceilings were high.   
"Probably a storage for white lead from before," I said, watching Augur.   
"Are you hurt?" Law asked.   
"No," I said.   
"Well, what's going on?"   
"Some creep threw me into the trunk of his car when I was getting off work," I glared at Augur.   
"What do you want?" Law growled.   
"It's very simple Trafalgar. All you need to do is return to Flevance and go about your daily business," Augur said.   
"What?" Law asked. His voice strained.   
"Return to Flevance by the end of the day, and go about as you normally would. Which part is hard to understand?"   
"None of it," Law huffed.   
"Good, then I'll see you soon Trafalgar, and try not to bring your mark with you." Augur hung up my phone and set it out of my reach.   
"What do you want with Law?" I asked.   
"I have no particular interest in him, I'm merely doing what I've been paid to do," Augur said with an air of boredom.   
"By who? Dellinger?" I snapped. Augur raised his eyebrow at me.   
"Who else wouldn't want anything to do with Trafalgar?" Augur asked. He leaned towards me just a little, tilting his head slightly to the side. It was an odd reaction considering he was standing a ways away and looking at me as if he were mere centimeters from my face.   
"Why?" I asked.   
"Why I asked or why Trafalgar?" He asked, his voice fell into that monotone that would put a high school kid to sleep.   
"Why Law?" I asked.   
"How should I know?" Augur replied. He found an old wooden crate to sit on and so he did. "I am merely a middle man."   
"Figures," I mumbled. I tested my restraints. Rope. Just rope. Who was this guy to be so confident that I couldn't escape? I felt the rope for the knot, nothing I could comprehend undoing. I need something to cut it.   
"How long are you going to keep me here?"  
"Until Trafalgar comes back to Flevance and does what he's told." There was something about Augur that was very wrong. That wasn't him kidnapping me from the parking lot of my work. I couldn't place it.   
"Why would you assume he cares about me?" I muttered. It was true that the black market knew Law well for being heartless. He wasn't. Nowhere close, in fact.   
"From the way, he answered the phone it was clear that he cares, it doesn't matter to me." Augur said. Another ringing, it wasn't my phone. It was his. Augur answered it.   
"How'd he end up there?" Augur asked into the phone. I strained to hear what the caller was saying buy Augur was too far away to hear it. All I was witness to was a one-sided conversation.   
"Yesterday?"  
"Okay." Augur leaned forward and rested an elbow on his knee, his hand hung. I leaned back, feeling the pavement under me, gritty with dirt. There had to be something I could use to get out of here. All I gained from my search was dusty fingers.   
"Then what's the plan now?" I felt whatever obstruction was behind me. I crate from the feel of it. A wooden one with empty slots between the planks. A nail has to be sticking out somewhere.  
If there was one, I didn't find it.   
"I doubt he'll get away with just that, he was caught in the act. Is Strawhat or the other one at least dead?"   
I froze. Luffy? My stomach lurched at the thought of Luffy being hurt. Augur had said yesterday. If Luffy was dead I would know by now. Law wouldn't have let Luffy get hurt. He might be too.   
"What happened to Luffy?" I asked.   
"Shut up," Augur told me.   
"Damn." This he said into the phone. I leaned my head against the crate or whatever it was.   
"Okay," Augur said, he hung up the phone and looked at me.  
"What happened to Luffy?" I asked again.  
"Strawhat was injured, unfortunately, it wasn't lethal." I sighed with relief and leaned back against my crate.   
"Who was the other one?"   
"Roronoa Zoro." One of Luffy's friends.  
"He dead?"   
"No," Augur sighed. He stood and disappeared into the darkness. The only thing to confirm his presence was the sound of dirt against stone under his, now, dragging footsteps. Augur came back into the moonlight carrying a roll of duct tape and rope.  
"It's not like you can go anywhere, but I'm going to make sure you can't, no need to underestimate you, right?" Augur pulled on the tape, used his teeth to cut a strip from the roll and kneeled in front of me to press it over my mouth. Augur took the rope and tied me to the crate.   
"Hope you don't have to use the bathroom, you'll be here all night," Augur said. Asshole. Aching throbbed up my leg that wasn't there. At least it would only be the phantom pains I had to deal with for the night. 


	74. Now

**_♡_ ** _**Luffy** _ **_♡_ **

"Luffy, damn it, you're going to hurt yourself," Torao snapped.   
"It's just a few stitches Torao, you can fix it," I said with a grin.   
"What makes you think I will?" He asked.   
"'Cause you're you."   
"Luffy, your turn," Nami sighed. I went over to the chair Usopp just got out of. Law pinched the bridge of his nose.   
"My mark is an idiot," Law muttered.   
"At least he's not your boss," Usopp said. I turned towards them.   
"No," Nami said, she grabbed my jaw and turned my face to her. She pressed the brush to my face without letting go.   
"I don't even want you on stage. If you make this a pain in the ass I'll tell Marco you're too badly hurt to dance."  
"I'm still dancing tonight," I insisted.  
"I get that we made a deal, but even without you and Zoro, the Strawhats are still performing," Usopp said.   
"We can get by without Zoro, but without Luffy, I'd have to rewrite the choreography," Robin said, she was in the bathroom doing her own makeup.   
"Don't tell me you want Luffy out there with his stitches," Nami said.   
"Of course not, it is very convenient for me though," she said.  
"That's not why I'm still going to dance," I stated. Everyone looked at me, even Nami stopped what she was doing.   
"Then why?" She asked.   
"Zoro's gunna propose to Sanji after, I'm not missing that."   
"What?" Nami and Usopp asked.   
"Oh, Sanji intended on proposing tonight too," Robin said.  
"What?" Usopp and Nami repeated.  
"I'm not sure when."  
"I'd bet ten, Zoro does it first." Nami decided, setting the brush back to my skin.   
"Nah, I'll bet on Sanji," Usopp said.   
"I think I'll bet on Zoro too," Robin added.   
"What are you betting on Zoro for?" Sanji asked as he came into the RV. He was covered in paint and ready to go.   
"How will pop stitches out first," Usopp said quickly.   
"Oh, that will definitely be Luffy," Sanji said. "How much are we betting?"   
"Ten bucks," Nami said.   
"I've got ten on Luffy then," Sanji said. Nami finally let go of my face and finished up, then she spread it over my clothes and I was done.   
"Usopp, will you do the blending?" Okay, Maybe I wasn't.   
"Yeah," Usopp said, switching places with Nami. Nami went outside and Usopp spent another ten minutes on my face before I was done.   
"Robin, are you done yet?" Usopp asked.   
"Yes," she came out of the bathroom with her make up all finished.  
"Good, we're on in five, let's go." I stood up as everyone started shuffling out the door. I walked into the crowd, this time with Zoro instead of Jimbei. Zoro was on crutches until the stitches came out. The MC went on stage and introduced us.   
"Hey, Luf," Zoro said. "When you guys finish up there, make sure Sanji sees the audience. I got the lights guy to help me out."  
"Shishi, okay," I said. "Torao, make sure he doesn't get lost!" I kissed his cheek and threw my hat to Sanji before running towards the stage.   
"Be careful!" Law yelled as I left. Jimbei gave me a boost and I was on stage. My side started to hurt but I ignored it.   
There were a few changes all over the place cause we didn't have Zoro and Robin did a good job of making it work, especially since a lot of it was us making up our own choreo to fill in the gaps.   
My side ached and stung the whole time. And when the lights went off and the music fell silent I ran to Sanji, grabbed him and turned him to face the audience. A light swept across it.   
"Luffy, what are you doing?" Sanji asked.   
"Watch the light," I said. There was a big empty space in the audience, and Zoro was in it. On one knee with his crutches on the floor beside him.   
"Oh shit," Sanji muttered. " _Oh. Shit_."   
"Go over there, stupid," I pushed Sanji forward. He jumped down off the stage and pushed his way through the crowd.   
"That's so beautiful, bro!" Franky clapped my shoulder in tears.   
"Let's go, guys," Usopp rushed us off stage. I pressed my hand to my side as I followed the others off stage.   
"Those two better hurry up, they already made a scene," Nami muttered once we were back at the trailer.   
"Luffy, are you okay?" Brook asked. Everyone turned to look at me.   
"I'm fine, it just hurts, a lot," I assured.   
"Are you sure? You're a getting pale," Usopp said.   
"Yeah."  
"Let me see it," Torao said, coming from the audience I'm sure.   
"It just hurts, I'm fine," I said.   
"I don't care, let me see it," Law insisted. I slipped my arm from my onesie and held it up and out of the way. Blood dripped down my side from my wound all the way to my hip and stopped at the waistband of my underwear.   
"Do you have any sense of self-preservation at all?" Law grumbled.   
"Of course he doesn't," Usopp said.   
"Nami-ya, do you have a first-aid kit with-"  
"If I didn't these idiots wouldn't be alive," Nami headed inside the RV, motioning us to follow her. We did.   
"Sit down somewhere and don't move," Law instructed. I did. Nami dug into her bag and pulled out a small first-aid kit and gave it to Law. Torao came over to me and knelt on the floor next to me.   
He clicked his tongue. "You popped six of them out." There were 12 or 14 of them I think.   
"Water?" Law asked. Nami had already been digging out a water bottle.   
"All I can offer you for a rag is Zoro's shirt." She said.   
"That's fine," Law said. Nami set it on the table next to us. Torao poured the water over my side.   
"Ouches."  
"I'd say sorry, but your dumbass deserves it," Law mumbled. Law dug out a wipe of some sort from the first-aid kit and pressed it to my wound. It stung like peroxide.   
Law took another wipe and ran it over the needle and thread he was going to use.   
"Lift your arm up." I did as he said and Torao removed the stitches that were messed up and started to redo them.   
Halfway through, Sanji and Zoro came into the RV.   
"Usopp, you owe me ten bucks," Nami said.   
"Someone owes me money too, Sanji added.   
"Sanji, we were betting on which one of you would propose first, not the thing I told you," Nami said.   
"Damn."  
"Ouch!" I yelped.   
"Damn it Luffy," Law muttered.   
"Why would you bet on that?" Zoro asked.   
"I-I was going to propose to you tonight..." Sanji said with a faint blush on his cheeks. I winced as Law pulled on the thread.   
"We're you?" Zoro asked with a smirk. Torao cut the thread   
"Yes, shut up," Sanji said.   
"All done," Law said.   
"Good, let's clean up and get outta here. We should celebrate," Nami said.   
"Hell yeah!" Usopp and I cheered. Everyone cleaned up their stuff from the RV as quickly as possible and we headed for the nearest bar.  
Turns out, it's hard to get a table for ten people. And even harder to get on that will let you bring a dog inside. We ended up having to drop Chopper off before we went to a club close to the park. 

The music was loud and I was on my third? drink. And Law was nowhere to be seen. Neither was anyone else. This place was so fun, I can't enjoy it on my own. I glanced around the haze of people. No one seemed all that interesting enough to befriend.   
"Hi, stranger," I voice to his right said. "Hey, I'm talking to you." Someone poked my arm. There was a woman with long, purple. She was wearing a white dress with a revealing front to it.   
"Hi," I said.   
"You here all alone?" She leaned on the bar behind me.  
"Nope, my friends are around here somewhere," I said, glancing around again. The girl nodded.   
"Yeah, my friends are round too," she said. "I'm Pascia, what's your name?"  
"Luffy," I said.   
"Wanna dance? maybe If we have fun we can get outta here and find some fun somewhere else."   
"Um, are you hitting on me?" I asked, remembering Kid saying something similar to me when I first met him.   
"Maybe I am," Pascia smiled. The bartender set a drink next to her. She picked it up and drank from it.   
"I have a mark, he's here too," I said.   
"Oh, sorry," she said with a blush over her cheeks. "I just saw you by yourself and-"  
"That's okay, no harm done," I said. "But I think we could still have fun as friends."  
"Really?" She smiled at me over her cup.   
"Why not? We can still dance until we find our friends," I said.   
"I guess," she agreed.   
"Awesome, let's go." Pascia chugged as much of her drink as she could handle before setting it down. We went onto the dance floor while one of the songs from our performance played over the speaks.   
"You look familiar, were you at the Pirate's Festival earlier?" Pascia shouted over the music while we danced. She was. good at it. She moved her hips like she was a dancer herself. I didn't do anything that hurt my side, so she looked even better dancing next to me.   
"Yeah!" I yelled back. "I performed."  
"Really?" She asked. "Which one?"   
"Strawhats."   
"Oh, you're the ones who ended with a proposal!" She said. I nodded.   
"Those were my friends." Someone was wrapping their arms around me. I looked over my shoulder and it was my Torao. He rested his chin on my shoulder.   
"There you are," he said into my ear.   
"Your mark?" Pascia asked. I nodded again.   
"I see you found a friend," he said, again into my ear.   
"Yep, she's nice," I yelled. Law swung his hips with mine. A girl with short brown hair caught Pcscia's attention.  
"Oh, Thanks for keeping me company, Luffy!" She shouted as she disappeared with her friend.   
"How's your side?" Law asked.   
"A little sore." Torao nodded.   
"The others are by the bar."   
"Let's dance for a little while," I turned to face him, Torao took my hands.   
"You'll have to lead, I can only ballroom dance, remember?" Law leaned close and spoke into my ear.   
"Shishishi, there's no leading, you just move with the music, however, you feel like," I shouted.   
"So If I want you close..." Law pulled me close to him so our bodies were pressed together.   
"That works." I grinned and moved with the music, it wasn't much since the song ended as soon as we started. But right away another song kicked up that was far more suited to the lack of space between me and Torao. I stole kisses from him whenever I got the chance, be it when Torao turned his face toward me or when he just looked really cute trying to match my moves; even though I told him there was no leading. We didn't go back to the others until the song ended.   
"Hiya, guys," I said, they were all in a group by the bar.   
"There you are," Usopp said.   
"We lost Zoro," Sanji said. He was holding Zoro's crutches. "That idiot is walking on his leg before the doctor said he should."   
"I would too," I said.   
"Of course you would," Law muttered.   
"How hard can it be to find him? He's tall and has bright green hair," I said. Law looked around the crowd.   
"Has anyone tried to call him?" He asked.   
"Yeah, a few times too," Sanji sighed. "I need a cigarette. I'm going outside." Nami put her hands her hips as Sanji walked away.  
"Zoro could have flat out left and be wondering the city right now." She huffed.   
"With that injury, and the possibility of people targeting us..." Franky said.  
"Don't worry, Zoro's fine," I assured.  
"Luffy's right, it's Zoro! Besides, if something was really wrong Sanji would know." Nami nodded in agreement. Torao's phone started ringing.   
"It's Fai, I should answer it, I'll be right back," Law said. He went outside too.  
"Franky and I will look around a bit more, he couldn't have gotten far," Robin said. She took Franky's hand and lead him back into the crowd of people.   
"I need a drink," Nami decided and headed over to the bar.   
"I'm a little worried Zoro will get into a fight or something. The last thing we need to deal with is bailing Zoro out of jail." Usopp said.  
"Zoro can't get into that much trouble before we find him," Jimbei said.  
"The only thing that kept him out of jail for crap like that before was his government badge, and he doesn't have that anymore," Usopp said.  
"He doesn't get into that much trouble," I said.   
"Still..." Usopp said. Nami came back with her drink.   
"Honestly, if it wasn't for his leg I wouldn't worry about him until even tomorrow morning, and that's only because of our meeting with Marco." She drank from her glass, her eyes darting around the crowd of people.   
"Luffy-ya!" Law called running towards me, darting between people.  
"Huh, what's the matter?"   
"Fai's been abducted, I have to go back to Flevance right now," he said.   
"What? I'll go with you." Law shook his head. I grabbed his hand.  
"They told me not to bring you with me." He kissed the back of my hand.  
"But-"  
"I know, I'd much rather make sure she's safe than push her luck, okay?" Law said.   
"Okay... Who was it? Do you know?" Toroa nodded.   
"One of the guys that works for Blackbeard-ya, Augur- I think was the name he gave me."   
"Torao..." That name was familiar.   
"Who-?" Usopp started to say.   
"I know, Love, she's the only family I have. I have to make sure she's safe."   
"Okay."   
"Nami-ya do you have a spare key?"  
"Yeah." Nami pulled the key out from the side of her boot and passed it to Law. "Leave it in the suite."  
"I'm going to try to get a flight back tonight, I'll call you a soon as I get to Flevance. Toroa gave me a quick kiss before leaving in a hurry, almost running into Sanji.  
Sanji raised his eyebrow and pointed in the direction Law ran off in.   
"Wait, Blackbeard was the guy that tried to kill you and hurt Zoro, right?" Nami asked. I nodded. "Is he trying to get to Law?"   
"Maybe, but why would he want anything to do with Torao?" Nami shrugged.


	75. Hostage

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This ones a bit short but way worth it sorry its so late in the day I had a bit of a disaster with my bedroom yesterday and was still dealing with the aftermath. All is well now <3

_**♡** _ _**Law♡** _

It was 5 in the morning when I got to Flevance. I had been in so many different timezones in the last few hours I had no idea what time even meant. What I do know is that it was faster to transfer flights, three times, than to wait for a plane that would take me to Dressrosa, where I'd have to transfer flights anyway just to get to Flevance.   
"Pick up your damn phone," I muttered to myself, trying to call Luffy as I briskly walked down the streets of Flevance with my suitcase in tow. He didn't answer. _Remember that time zones are a thing and for all I know, it's 3 am in Saboady._ I reminded myself. I got home and threw my stuff into my bedroom. All Augur had told me to do was to go about my day per usual. I wasn't actually supposed to be here until the afternoon, so the only thing I could do was catch up on the sleep I had lost trying to get here so quickly. By the time I finished showering, I got a phone call.   
Fai.  
"Yes?" I answered, unable to keep the anger from my voice.   
"You're back, and you're alone, I see you're good with directions." Augur said. He had eyes on me somewhere...  
"I want to hear Fai," I said   
"Alright," He said with the click of his tongue.   
"Hey, Law," Fai said. Her voice was hoarse.   
"Satisfied?" Didn't have much of a choice in that.   
"Yeah."   
"Good, There's an envelope in your mailbox. A black one." Augur explained. Inside it, are directions for what you're going to do next. Stick to those, and Fai will be given water and food. Which she hasn't had either in nearly a day."   
"Okay," I said with gritted teeth.   
"More instructions with be waiting for you by the time you finish work. And the rule still stands, go about your day as normal." The line went dead. It was restricted, so there was no way I could call it back. Damn.   
He was watching me. I closed all the curtains and blinds in my house and went to my mailbox to retrieve the fucking envelope.   
I waited until I got back inside to open it. A piece of notebook paper was folded inside. On it was a list.   
_1\. Do not contact the police_  
 _2\. When you go to work today, leave your front door unlocked_  
 _3\. Do not return from work early_  
 _4\. When you return, read the_ _instructions_ _before entering your home._  
I could just call Stussy. She wasn't technically a cop. But I can't go to her with all my problems. She had done enough for me already.   
I slipped the paper back into the envelope. All I could do now was keep that thing for proof for after Fai was safe and I could call the police. People would be in my home, why else would they want the door unlocked? I had to hide it if I wanted to keep it as evidence.   
Where could I put it? I stared at the poster of Toothless behind the TV while I contemplated these things.   
In one of Luffy's photo albums maybe, or tape it to the underside of the couch.   
In the frame of the poster.   
Who would look for it in a poster for a kids movie?  
I took the frame down and opened up the back of it. I slid the envelope behind the poster, put the frame back together and hung it back up.   
I'd hide the next one they gave me somewhere else. Not in the living room, kitchen or my bedroom maybe.   
I'd figure that out later. I got a call back from Luffy.   
"Hey, you," I said.   
"Hiya Toroa," Luffy said in his usual manner.   
"Any luck finding Zoro-ya?"   
"Yeah, we found him. A big guy with a wrestling mask brought him back to the hotel after we gave up looking. Zoro meets some weird people," Luffy said as if he didn't. "What about Fai?"  
"I know she still alive. They have instructions for me to follow to keep her that way." I explained.   
"Okay, just be careful. They won't mind killing someone..."  
"I know." I looked down at the floor between my feet.   
"I gotta go, I love you, Torao!" Luffy said.   
"Love you too," I said and hung up the phone.

I got home from work late. It was dark out and the only thing to light up my house was the porch light that I had not left on this morning. I checked the mail, taking only the black envelope that I was told would be there and leaving the rest for a later time. I tore it open, only caring about what was inside and nothing more.   
Another list of directions.   
_1\. Empty pockets, leave everything in the mailbox._  
I did that. Wallet, phone, keys, the receipt from my lunch.   
_2\. Knock once and enter the house._  
 _3\. Once inside, close your eyes, put your hands up and do not move._  
 _4\. Do not speak, unless given permission_  
 _Baby 5 is inside, step out of line and she will be killed._  
I was about to be taken, hostage. That much was obvious. I should text Luffy.   
No, what good would that do? There was no way to spare him from worrying. Fuck. Whatever. I pulled my phone from the mailbox and texted him.  
 _Love, you should know that I'm about to be taken hostage,_ I typed out. I wasn't sure what else I could say. I guess a warning was better than nothing. I sent the message, put my phone on silent, and put it back in the mailbox before going into the house. I knocked and stepped inside. The house was dark. I closed my eyes and raised my arms. The lights turned on. Still, I kept my eyes closed. Something cloth was pulled between my teeth.   
I didn't move.   
"Law? What are you doing? Fight back!" Fai shouted. My hands were pulled behind my back and my wrists were tied together with rope.   
I didn't move.   
"There's only one guy, Law damn it, do something!" I reminded myself of what these people did to Luffy just a few years ago. They didn't care about killing kids and they wouldn't care about hurting Fai. There might be one person present but there were more elsewhere. Something was pulled over my eyes and secured behind my head. I opened them. Red cloth kept me from seeing anything.   
I didn't move.   
If it hadn't been for the gag between my teeth I might have asked, "What now?" Something crashed by TV, where Fai's voice had come from.   
"Shut your loud ass up or I'll kill him, then you." The guy said. Fai, please shut the fuck up. Fai was quite.   
"Trafalgar, out the back door, let's go." The guy said. I turned my head in the direction of Fai and nodded toward her. The voice that was certainly Augur sighed. He pulled the gag from between my teeth.   
"What?" He asked.   
"Fai, make sure Luffy knows I'm okay," I said.   
"Anything else?" Augur asked. He sounded bored.  
"Where are you taking me?"   
"Dressrosa." Augur pulled the gag back into my mouth and I could speak no more. "Now go." I did as he asked and made my way to the back door. Once we were in the alley behind my house I heard a car door open and the sound of a trunk popping. Oh great.   
"If I had tinted windows I'd put you in the back seat," He said. Fuck this. I got into his fucking trunk without opposition. There was no use giving him a reason to go back inside. I heard his footsteps walk away and it was a least several minutes before he returned and started the car.  
A seven-hour fucking drive in a trunk. Fucking great. 

"Strawhat isn't dead yet," a woman said.   
"You told me too late, I already had Baby 5 and Trafalgar getting back to Flevance." Augur said.   
"It doesn't matter, Burgess is already working on dealing with Roronoa and Strawhat," Another man spoke. I kicked the side of the trunk I was still in. Let me out assholes.   
"Did you drug him?"   
"Didn't have to, he cares about that girl so much he didn't even try to resist, even after I left Flevance." Augur said. Yes, please mock me for caring about someone instead of letting me out. I kicked the inside of the trunk again. Just let me out already.  
"I thought the kid said he was a heartless bastard," the man said. I kicked it the trunk again and again.   
"I think you better let him out, how long was the drive from Flevance? He's been cooped up for a while." The woman said. Yes, please let me out. There was the sound of keys and the feeling of fresh air on my face.  
I shifted until I could get my leg over the edge of the trunk and sat up. I rolled my shoulders and arched my back, getting popping from every joint. I cracked my neck and rolled my ankles. Damn, I was sore. Someone grabbed my jaw and lifted my face up. The blindfold was pulled from my face and a woman was inches from my face.   
"You're a pretty one, I've never seen eyes look so much like pure silver. You'd sell for a lot." I jerked away from her.   
"No, he's got tattoos. On the back of his hands, his arms, chest, and back." How the fuck did he know what was under my shirt?   
"Oh, please, maybe if it were ten years ago. But today he'd sell really well." The woman argued.   
"Doesn't matter, he's for Dellinger." The very thought of that made me sick to my stomach. The woman pulled off the gag too.   
"Untie him, Laffite." She ordered the man did as she asked.   
"It won't be that hard to get to that one-legged girl, so don't try anything," the woman said. I rubbed my wrists and stood. We were in the parking garage beneath Doflamingo- Dellinger's apartment. The man who wasn't Laffite, who could only be Augur, headed to the entrance of the building. I followed him and the other two were behind me. We went through the building without a word. Even if I managed to shake them, I had no one in Dressrossa I could rely on. I had no money and no phone. What could I do? Walk to Flevance? I wasn't even sure of the fucking way there without a GPS.  
As soon as Dellinger opened the door to let the four of us in. He grabbed my arm and checked my wrist. I jerked away from him.   
"Strawhat isn't dead," Dellinger glared back at Blackbeard's lackeys. Regardless, he let all of us inside and closed the door.   
"Blackbeard was arrested trying to kill him and Roronoa," Laffiette said.   
"So?" Dellinger asked.   
"Burgess is dealing with Roronoa and Strawhat now," the woman said.   
"Fine, I'll pay a third, and the rest when Strawhat and Roronoa are dead." Dellinger looked at me.   
"Does Roronoa Zoro have a mark?" Dellinger asked.   
"No." I lied. I crossed my arms over my chest and glared at Dellinger. Dellinger watched me for a moment before turning to address the jackasses who brought me here. Dellinger picked up an envelope that was sitting on the counter and gave it to Augur.   
"I want Strawhat and Roronoa dead by the end of the week." He said as the three let themselves out.   
"Vergo!" Dellinger called. Within moments the man was there.   
"Lock Trafalgar up, I want to know the moment his mark scars over," Dellinger said. Vergo approached me.   
"Don't touch me," I grumbled. "I can walk." 


	76. Rescue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> if yall saw my post on Tumblr, I decided to stick to my current posting schedule. If you DIDNT see my post, well, I guess you should follow me on tumblr huh?  
> lemme just... bloop: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/nuhnyah  
> also link in my bio~  
> carry on <3

**_♡_ ** **_Luffy♡_ **

_Love, you should know I'm about to be taken, hostage_  
What kind of text was that?   
_Um, no!_ I replied right away but Torao didn't. I called and the phone rang a few times before it went to voice mail.  
"What the hell do you mean, you're gunna be taken, hostage!?" I yelled into the phone. "Torao! Answer your fucking phone!" The others looked at me in confusion. We had just gotten to our suite from the airport and I had just walked in when I got a text from Torao. I hung up and glared at my phone, _ring_ you piece of shit.   
"Everything okay there?" Robin asked.   
"No, look!" I showed her the text message.   
"Oh." She hummed, setting down her things. "That's it?" I nodded.   
"Zoro!" I shouted, running into the room he and Sanji had gone into. They jumped apart when I barged in.  
"Luffy, what the hell do you want?" Zoro grumbled. Sanji sighed and sat down on the end of one of the beds.   
"I need Stushy's number!"   
"Why?" He asked skeptically. I climbed over the bed and showed Zoro my phone screen.   
"Torao won't answer now!" I said.   
"Oh, shit," Zoro muttered.  
"Zoro he was kidnapped by Blackbeard." My voice cracked.  
"What?" Zoro asked. "That's the guy that-" I nodded.   
"He's gonna kill him! I knew I should have gone with Torao." I was on the verge of tears now.   
"It's that kid trying to get back at Law," Zoro said, holding his hand to his chin, only for a moment.   
"What?" Sanji and I asked.   
"What was his name, he was the kid that was with Law and Joker at the auction?" Zoro asked, looking up at me.  
"Dellinger?" I asked. Zoro nodded.   
"After the auction, Law told me he thought Dellinger was going to get back at him 'cause he was loyal to Joker."   
"But, Dellinger is a good guy!" I argued.   
"What the hell are you talking about, Luf?" Sanji asked, furrowing his eyebrows and frowning.   
"He wanted to be friends," I said.   
"Luffy, when did you talk to him?" Zoro asked a sense of caution carried in his voice.   
"I dunno, a couple different times, he wouldn't try to hurt Torao."  
"I don't know about that..." Zoro muttered.   
"I don't care, he wouldn't do it!" I insisted   
"Luffy." Zoro's voice became stern. "If someone hurt you, I would kill them- I have. Doesn't matter what it took to do it. That's what loyalty is. Dellinger would do the same for Joker."   
"But-" Dellinger wanted to hurt Torao? Then why would he try and be friends with me?  
"Luffy, he was probably thinking he could get closer to Law if he was friends with you..." Sanji said quietly, looking at the ground between his knees.  
"You think so too, Zoro?" Zoro nodded.   
"I don't," I decided. It just didn't seem right. "I'm gunna call Stussy."   
"Make sure to tell her what I just said, even if you don't think that's the case," Zoro said. I nodded and Zoro gave me his phone. I found her number and called it.   
"Roronoa didn't think I'd hear from you again," she said.   
"It's Luffy," I stated.   
"Oh?"   
"Torao got kidnapped by Blackbeard's guys," I stated.   
"Can you two stay out of trouble for ten seconds?" Stussy muttered.  
"Zoro said, Torao told him, Dellinger would get him back for Mingo."  
"That's not unreasonable if that's the case Law must be in Dressrosa. Can you meet me there by the end of the day?"   
"I can try," I said.   
"Good, call me as soon as you land," she said.   
"Okay. Thanks!"   
"If Law is still getting into trouble over Doflamingo, it's my obligation to help out, I got him into the mess to start with."   
"Uh-huh, see ya!" I hung up the phone and tossed it onto the bed.  
"Zoro, text me her number," I said, heading out the door. "Nami!"  
"What?" Nami called from another room in our suite.   
"I need a ticket to Dressrosa right now!" I said.   
"Why?" She asked, pulling her laptop out of her suitcase.   
"Torao's in trouble."   
"Take one of us with you," Nami said. Zoro- no he's hurt.  
"Sanji," I said.   
"What?" He called, he had come out of the room we had been in earlier.   
"You're going to Dressroba with me," I said.   
"Um, okay."   
"You're taking our food source?" Usopp asked with panic.   
"Is that all you see me as you dick?"   
"We'll starve without Sanji!" Usopp dramatically dropped onto the couch with his hand on his stomach like he was already starving.   
"With Luffy gone too, we'll be fine," Nami said. "I can get you on a flight that leaves in 45 minutes."   
"Yes!" I said.   
"Glad I didn't unpack anything," Sanji muttered. Nami bought our tickets.  
"There goes that money," Nami mumbled to herself. "Better get going, I don't have a rental car and the airport was almost a ten-minute walk."  
"Right," I said and rushed back to where I had abandoned my suitcase. Sanji went to get his. An hour later we were both back on a plane.   
Sanji and I walked to the nearest motel and got a room for the next couple days. I wasn't sure how long it'll take but it didn't matter much if we had to go to another place or move to another room. I called Stussy as soon as I set my bag down. I plopped onto one of the beds as the phone rang.  
"Luffy," Stussy answered.   
"Hiya, me and Sanji are in Dressrosa now."   
"Oh, good, which hotel are you staying at?"  
"Uh, the one next door to the airport," I said.   
"Oh good, my partner and I will meet you in the cafe across the street from there in about fifteen minutes. That work for you?"   
"Yep!"   
"Good, See you Strawhat." Stussy hung up the phone.   
"Didn't think I'd ever be here again," Sanji muttered, peeking out the window of our room.  
"Me either," I agreed. "Stussy wants to meet across the street in a little bit."  
Sanji nodded. "I'm going out for a cigarette." He left the room. I crossed my legs and ran my thumb over my mark.   
_Torao..._

"Where is she?" Sanji looked around the coffee shop.   
"Oh, there," I said. Stussy was sitting next to a window with a guy who's back was too us. Sanji made his way to the table and I followed.   
"There you are," Stussy said. The guy she was with turned back to greet us.   
It was the guy with Ace's face. I stopped and stared at him. I had seen him first at a bar, I think. Yes, a bar. What was his name? Did I ever get his name? It didn't matter. Sanji Greeted Stussy with a smile and sat down next to her. The only space for me was next to the guy with a face that didn't belong to him.   
"This is Trace, I'm training him to work undercover," Stussy said.   
"How's that going?" Sanji asked.   
"Better than expected," Stussy said. "But we're here about Law, aren't we, Luffy?" I looked up at her and Sanji.   
"Mhm," I agreed. Sanji frowned and furrowed his eyebrows at me.   
"While I was waiting for you, I spoke with Dellinger and set a meeting with him," Stussy said.  
"Already?" I asked.   
"Yeah, but we're not meeting for four days." Trace added. I leaned back and crossed my arms.   
"I don't want to leave Torao with him that long..." I muttered.   
"Neither do I, but it's the best that I can do," Stussy said. "Only hell knows what that man has been forced through because of Joker and Dellinger."  
"So we need a plan for the meeting," Trace said. He leaned back too and rested his elbow on the window seal. _Something Ace would do._  
"Exactly," Stussy said.   
"Now, Dellinger's place in an apartment building, Dellinger has the entire top two floors as his penthouse." Stussy sipped from the coffee cup in front of her.   
"The idea is that me and Stussy will sneak you in a suitcase and leave it where you can get out and poke around," Trace said.   
"But he might not be there right?" Sanji asked.   
"Yes, that's very possible, that's why Luffy is only going to snoop."  
"If Traffy is there?" I asked.   
"Well, Sanji will be waiting in the car in an alley across the street. I'll be dark when we go so no one will notice him," Stussy explained. Sanji nodded. I leaned forward, I didn't want to pay any more attention to Trace than I had to.   
"There's an entrance to the penthouse on both floors it's on, We're going to use the top floor so you and Law should be able to sneak out the lower floor," Trace answered.   
"Oh," I hummed.   
"Luffy, it's important that you do this quietly if we draw too much attention, you'll blow our cover and all of us will be in serious trouble," Stussy said without breaking eye contact with me.  
"Right," I said.   
"Sanji, as soon as Law and Luffy are with you, leave. Not just back to your hotel, get out of Dressrosa." Stussy said.   
"Gotchya," Sanji said.   
"There are six of the Donquixote's living there, and we don't know how many of them will be there, or where they'll be," Trace said.  
"That means Luffy, of all people, will need to be stealthy," Sanji muttered, rubbing his forehead.   
"I can be sneaky!" I said.   
"As sneaky as a rhino," Sanji retorted.   
"Well, you'll have to be, only Luffy can fit inside the suitcase, and I'm worried about what Dellinger might have done to Law."  
"What do you mean?" I asked. Stussy pressed her lips together.  
"Dellinger has been acting- for lack of a better word- odd since Joker died."   
"What exactly is 'odd'?" Sanji asked  
"The kid is off his rocker," Trace said. "Batshit crazy."  
"Well, shit," Sanji muttered.  
"Stussy," Trace said, tapping the back of his wrist.   
"Oh," she muttered, checking her phone. "We should get going, we've got some other people to meet. Though I'd rather not."  
"Okay," I said, Sanji and I slid out of the booth to let Stussy and Trace out.   
"See you boys in a few days," Stussy said, picking up her cup and leaving with Trace in tow.   
"What's with you?" Sanji asked.  
"What are you talking about?"  
"You were acting weird around that Trace guy," Sanji said. I rubbed mt marks.   
"I don't know what you're talking about," I said, heading out of the shop.   
"Luffy!" Sanji followed me out. "Really, what's up with you and that guy?"  
"Nothing," I said and took a step into the street, heading for our hotel. Sanji huffed.   
"That's some bullshit, I'm the entire cafe could feel that tension," Sanji muttered. I headed inside.   
"He just looks exactly like Ace, okay?" I said punching the button for our floor over and over.   
"Ace?" Sanji asked.   
"Yep, just like him, except his freckles are in the wrong places." I marched down the hall into our room and Sanji followed.  
"That can't be right, maybe he just looks a lot like Ace," Sanji said.  
"Sanji. I know what my mark looks like." I threw my suitcase open and pulled the album Law got for my out an flipped the first page open.   
"Exactly like him." I shoved it into Sanji's hand.  
"Damn," Sanji muttered.   
"This wasn't the first time I met him either, he was at the bar we went to around Halloween."  
"Wait, seriously?"   
"He was our waiter." Sanji frowned.   
"I remember you were acting weird then too," Sanji muttered. 

The next few days sucked. I couldn't sit still so I went out to dance but that didn't help me sleep any better at night. The night before we were supposed to get Law was the worst. It had taken me hours to get to sleep. The nightmare I had about Law was confusing a broken up in bits and pieces that didn't make any sense but one thing was clear. Torao wanted to be dead. Thoughts like that screamed from him in that nightmare. I woke up in a cold sweat. Sanji was up, he was on his phone, he noticed me jerk as I woke.  
"You alright over there?" He asked. I sat up and pulled my knees to my chest and rested my elbows there.   
"No," I muttered. Sanji sat up too.   
"We'll have Law with us tomorrow," Sanji said.   
"I know."   
"That dumbass is tough, and besides, if something was really wrong, your mark will let you know," Sanji assured.   
"Sanji," I said. "Can I sleep next to you?"   
"If you want to, I guess," Sanji agreed. I got up from my bed and into Sanji's.   
Sanji scooted over and I slid under the covers and pulled them tight around me. Sanji sighed.  
"Well, if you're gunna hog the blankets, c' mere, ya little shit."   
I scooted closer to Sanji and laid my head on his shoulder. Sanji wrapped an arm around me. 

"Sanji, hurry up!" I yelled. Stussy and Trace were outside waiting.   
"Yeah, yeah," Sanji said as he came out of the bathroom. We headed down the elevator and through the lobby, into the parking lot where Stussy was waiting for us. Sanji and I got into the back seat. Trace drove us across town, which took ages since there was traffic and Dressrosa is huge. Trace came to a stop in a dark alley and we climbed out of the car.   
Trace popped the trunk open. Inside, there was a really big suitcase and one that was a little bigger. Sanji set both of them on the ground.   
"Why is this one so heavy? " He asked about the smaller one.   
"It's full of rocks," Trace said.   
"Alright then," Sanji said, lighting a cigarette.   
"This one's for you to hide in, Luffy," Stussy said. She knelt down and opened it up.   
"Am I getting in it now?" I asked.   
"Yeah," Trace said, "Dellinger's in that building across the street." I looked over to where he pointed. The building was at least six stories tall.   
"Okay," I said. I stepped into the suitcase and plopped down, laid on my side and curling my legs under me.   
"See ya in a bit," Sanji said. Stussy zipped the bag up. The bag lifted and I slid down some.   
"Damn, you're heavier than you look, Strawhat," Trace said. I heard the trunk close and we started moving. I felt when we were in the elevator and when we were going down the hall. Heard when they knocked on the door and were let inside.   
"Sorry we're late, our flight was delayed and we took a cab over here straight away," Stussy said.   
"It's no problem, Vergo, will you take their bags?" That was Dellinger's voice.   
"Careful, that one's a bit fragile," Stussy said.   
"Thanks, man," Trace said. I was moving again, stored in another room or something. When I heard the door close I pushed the zipper open. I was definitely in a closet. I cracked the door open and saw that the living room or whatever was on one end. I could hear Stussy's voice from that direction. Down the other end was the rest of the hall. I zipped the suitcase back up and headed deeper into the hall. At the end, I found a stairway. At the bottom of the steps, to people were talking. Uh-oh. They started coming up. I climbed on the banister of the stairs and moved against the wall, so I was behind the two as the went up.   
"Don't you think Dellinger is going a little too far?" The guy asked. He was younger, close to my age I think.  
"No, Trafalgar murdered Doffy, whatever Dellinger does to him, Trafalgar deserves," the woman replied as they reached the top of the steps. My foot slipped and I fell. I grabbed the banister just in time. The two were too absorbed in their conversation to notice. Once they were gone, and their voices were fading down the hall I dropped onto the landing below me. I went down the steps. Another hall, unlike the last one, had all the lights on.   
"Torao?" I called quietly, starting to head down the hall. I called near each door quietly. I only wanted to find Law.   
"Traffy?"   
"Mugiwara?" I heard from behind one door. His voice was quiet, hardly above a whisper.   
"Torao!" I said I pressed my hand to the door. "Torao, are you okay?" I jiggled the doorknob, it was locked.  
"No," he replied. His voice was weak, strained even. What did Dellinger do?  
"It's locked," I said, trying to open it again.   
"Vergo-ya has a key."   
"Okay, I'll be right back." I ran back down the hall and upstairs and down the other hall, stopping before I could be seen. I caught Trace's attention. He gave me a questioning glance. I pretended to unlock a door and pointed at Vergo, who was standing behind Dellinger.   
"Excuse me, could I use your bathroom?" Trace asked.   
"It's down the hall over there, second door on the right," Dellinger said, pointing over his shoulder. Trace bumped into Vergo as he made his way to me.   
"Sorry, man, I'm such a klutz," he patted Vergo's shoulder and came towards me.   
"I really hope it was keys that you wanted 'cause that's all that was in his pocket," Trace said, we both headed down the hall.   
"Yeah," I took them from him. Trace went into the door that was the bathroom and I went back to Torao. I stopped at the door.   
"Trace got them for me!" I said and tried the first key, it didn't work, neither did the second one or the third. The fourth one did. I opened the door into a dark room. Torao was leaning against the door frame. His left arm was covered in blood, scratches covered his chest, arms, and stomach. His hands were covered in blood.   
"T-Torao..." Law looked up at me with empty eyes. I dropped to my knees and held his face in my hand. His eyes were so lifeless I couldn't breathe. They looked like Shirahoshi's when I found her body. The color drained from them.   
"Dellinger did this to you?" I asked.   
"Yeah," Law looked down. I hugged him. Torao was so weak in my arms, he wrapped one arm around me, let his head fall into my shoulder like it was too heavy to hold up. I buried my face into his shoulder and looked down his back. Cuts all over. The worst was on his lower back. Claw marks all over it, like an animal desperately trying to escape.   
"You're back... it looks like an animal-"  
"Yeah," Law sighed and clenched my shirt.   
"I'm going to kick his ass!" I decided. He was going to pay for doing this to Law. How could Dellinger be so damned cruel?  
"Just get me out of here," Law pleaded. His voice was meek and tired. 


	77. Mutilate

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: sorry I'm a little late guys, I went on a spur of the moment camping trip and just got back (you'dknowthatifyoufollowedmeontumblrheyyylinkinmybio ;))   
> Fair warning, There is a lot of violence in this chapter.
> 
> Enjoy! see ya'll Wednesday

**_♡Law♡_ **

I was in a dark room that should have been a normal bedroom. A dark room where the voices were only in my head and the quiet noises were too. The windows were painted black to blocked out the sun and devoid of all furniture but a crappy, stained mattress in the corner that I really didn't just, but hey, it beat sitting on the floor.   
Dellinger was just having one hell of a time with this. Maybe if I screamed loud enough the neighbors below would hear me. I'd rather not give Dellinger that satisfaction.  
Aside from the blood, I could still taste the metal of the branks Vergo had forced me into the second? day I was locked up in this room. This room of painted windows and carpet drinking up my blood.   
Not enough of it to be a cause for concern but enough to stain the carpet. I could only assume that because I couldn't fucking see shit.   
Dellinger will have hell to pay when I get out of here.   
Trying to kill Luffy. I'll fucking kill him. Screw the fact that he's 17. He lost the privilege of being a kid the moment he targeted Luffy.   
The thought of Luffy dying made my blood run cold and I couldn't fathom the pain of my mark scarring. I would have left Dellinger alone if he had just left me alone.   
How? How was I going to do this? If I found a way to get out of here, take one of his own guns and take him out on my way, I could claim it was self-defense. He kidnapped me. Which, in all technicality, wasn't wrong.   
The last thing I needed was another trial. But fuck, that might be the only way.   
I didn't know this place half as well as I knew the last one. Damn. I didn't know where anything was.   
I knew where the kitchen was. If I could get a knife and get closer to Dellinger...  
The sound of a blade scrapped against old wood. It was so close but there was nothing of the sort anywhere near me.   
Now that would be a good claim for self-defense. Then there was dealing with Vergo. If I was fast enough I could grab a knife, slit Dellinger's throat-   
Who am I kidding? I was nowhere near as fast as I used to be. I could use Dellinger to get to the front door, as soon as I was close enough, slit his throat and run.   
_"Fiesty little fucker, ain't he?"_ The words echoed in the back of my head. I jumped at it. Great, I'm going crazy. Figures. It's the only thing I can do trapped in this dark room by myself.  
 _"I ought to kill you for that, Law."_ Well, you're dead so go the fuck away. I disregarded the voices in my head. No need to go crazy right now. It doesn't matter that this room smells as vile as the cages in Doflamingo's basement. Or that the complete darkness mimics that of the cupboard Vergo dragged me out of after I had managed to get away from him when Doflamingo killed Corazon.   
Perhaps it's better the room smells vile rather than dusty old like the cupboard had.   
Right now would be a great time for Luffy to show up...   
I didn't doubt he was going to. It was just a matter of time. I didn't care how he found me. Just that he did. I know he will.   
_"Awe, Doffy he's just a kid"_  
"Shut up!" I barked. I stood. The wall against my back was starting to feel a lot like the wall of that cupboard. I felt dizzy as soon as I did stand. I used the wall for balance and took a deep breath. Was that from the lack of food and water or from blood loss? No. I hadn't lost that much blood yet.   
Unless it was internal. But that didn't make sense. What was left of Doflamingo's 'family' had cut up my skin and subjected me to waterboarding, they put cigarettes out on my back and today apparently starvation was the manner in which I was being tortured. None of that caused internal bleeding.  
 _Thunk._  
 _Thunk._  
 _Thunk._  
The walls echoed and my skull pounded with the noise.   
_Thunk._  
 _Thunk._  
The noise was getting closer but there was nothing to permit that. No cupboards in the room for Vergo to rip open. Still, my heart pounded with the fear that Vergo would drag me out any moment...  
The sound of a gunshot echoed through the dark.   
This was in my head.  
It had to be.   
I pinched the tip of my index finger. Anything to get my mind focused on something else. _Distal phalange._ I moved down my finger.   
_Intermediate phalange._ Further down.   
_Proximal Phalange._ Grazed over the back of my hand with my fingertips.   
_Metacarpals._ Where my wrist met my hand.   
_Carpals._ My inner arm.   
_Radius._ Outer arm.   
_Ulna._ Above my elbow.   
_Humerous._ Up into my shoulder.   
_Scapula._ Over my collar.   
_Clavical._ Where my neck became the rest of me.   
_Jugular notch._ Lower.  
_R1_. I continued down my ribs and in the center of my chest. Named the bones in my foot before I started drifting into sleep. I hadn't gotten much in here anyway. The only sleep I was getting wasn't the kind that gave any sort of rest. My sleep provided me no escape. Sleep came out of the sheer exhaustion and dire necessity.

I jolted with the mattress sliding out from under me. I hit the carpeted floor and something grabbed my arm, pulling me to my feet.   
My other arm was grabbed and I was shoved onto a table of some sort before I had time to even process my surroundings. Or _who_ the fuck was putting their hands on me. What the actual fuck was going on? The lights came on and I was on my stomach, my hands were restrained by something. Handcuffs? What the fuck? When my eyes stopped hurting, I noticed Dellinger standing in front of me, leaning against the wall.   
"What the fuck?" I asked.   
"You know rats are a lot like people," Dellinger grinned. Whatever he had planned couldn't be good. "They'll do anything to survive when they get desperate."  
"What are you talking about?"  
"In history class, we talked about torture methods," Dellinger tilted his head and kept on grinning. "Sure it was a tangent, but you know they used to put rats on the bellies of victims under a heated bucket?"   
"Fucking psycho," I muttered.   
"I don't wanna kill you though. I'm not bored yet." Dellinger looked up at whoever was standing behind me. The way he said that, as if I were some toy, was   
Something was set on my back.   
It was furry and crawled over my skin. I jerked.   
_Get it off, get it off._ Another thing went on my back.   
The bucket would be a safe guess.   
"They took hot coals and set it on top of the bucket and heat up slowly," Dellinger explained.   
The bucket got a little heavier.   
Then a little more.  
And a little more.   
The rodent crawled back and forth on my back. Circling the edges of the bucket. It was mere minutes that went by all too fast when I felt the bucket get warmer. The rat moved faster, squeaking when the brim on my skin got hot.   
Then there was the scratching. Hardly anything at first.   
And screeching from the rat and more scratching.  
It started to hurt. Stinging pain tingling up my back.  
I tried to go back to naming bones. Even tendons and muscles. That was useless against the pain burning on my back.   
_Luffy._  
He'll be here. I know he will. I bit my lip when I wanted to scream out, instead, I bit it until it bled.   
"If I hadn't hired Blackbeard to kill Strawhat already, I think I'd do the same to him, but make you watch."  
"I'm going to kill you," I muttered. Dellinger leaned forward.  
"What was that?" He asked, close to my face. I glared at him. I bit back the pain, the only thing that made it bearable was fixating my anger on him. I'll kill him, I will. I'll bide my time and wait.   
I grimaced at the burning of my skin. Shit, that'll fuck up my tattoo. I grunted at the scratching and digging into my flesh.   
"Take it off," Dellinger said. Mere moments and it was moved. The air hitting my carved open back stung.   
"Fuck," I hissed. I'll kill him. I don't care how. Fast or slow, as long as he's dead.   
"Awe, too bad we didn't mess up that tattoo," Dellinger hummed.   
Thank God.   
Fingers brushed against my back and the scratches on my back jumped into blinding pain.   
"SON OF A BITCH!" I roared. My eyes watered. It traveled up my spine and tore through my back.   
And just like that, the pain stopped, faded into a dull ache. And Dellinger was in front of me again. He bent over and brought his face close to mine. The glare he gave me reflected so much of Doflamingo, it left me feeling like I was sitting in the snow next to Corazon's dead body.   
"Don't threaten me, Law," Dellinger said, his voice low and daunting. The terror his words left in me was not something I would ever think he was capable of doing to me.  
I needed to get away from him. Far away. I pulled on the cuffs that restrained me. My back erupted in pain with my movement.   
"Fuck!" I shouted, pressing my forehead to the table underneath me.   
"I think you finally figured out your place," the cockiness in Dellinger's voice made me want to punch him. "Clean this up."  
The handcuffs restraining me were unlocked by Vergo. He and Trebol pulled me off the table, letting me drop onto the floor on my back. I gasped at the burning that accompanied the air being knocked out of me. Trebol and Vergo started to clean up.

I was back in the dark room.  
I never really left did I? A dark room where I tried not to speak to the voices. A dark room that I was sure left infection crawling through my back. The sounds of snow crunching under my soaked through shoes echoed through my head. I could feel Cora pulling on my hand, trying to keep me from falling behind. Not that I was having trouble. Maybe it was just assurance.   
My back ached so much.   
At least I was given food again. As crude as it was.   
I went so far as to force down the bread that was left for me.   
_"Shit, I don't have time..." Cora muttered._ The bitter cold that bit at my nose, lips, fingers, and toes became more stagnant. No wind blew.   
_"Find a place to hide!"_  
"Are you joking?" I argued.   
_"No, hurry up."_  
"Cora-"  
 _"Doffy is going to take you back to Dressrosa. Unless you want to go back, hide. Even if I can't find you, Walk Law."_  
"Wait, a second-"  
 _"Unnoticed, far, far, away. Don't let anything bind you, not the borders of the White City. Nothing will restrict you. You're truly free, now."_ I was shoved into the empty abandoned house. I crapped myself into a cupboard, a big one under what used to be a sink. It smelt like mold and dust and rot.   
"Phalanges, metatarsal joins, metatarsals, tarsals, talus, calcaneus," I said to myself, running my hand over my foot accordingly. It wasn't much use against the feeling of Vergo dragging me out by my ankle from the cupboard.   
Bang!  
Bang!  
Bang!  
Gunshots. I pulled my knees to my chest, my back argued with every movement. I ran my fingers through my hair.   
"Stop, stop, stop," I mumbled, bitting back the tears that caught in my throat. Vergo forced me outside and into the snow. Just outside the door, Corazon laid dead, his red blood seeping into the freshly fallen snow. Doffy stood over him, gun in his hand.   
"Cora!" I sobbed. Snow soaked into my jeans and numbed my knees. Vergo grabbed the clothing at the back of my neck and threw me into the snow next to Corazon.   
_"I ought to kill you too,"_ Doffy said.   
"I wish you did," I huffed into the blackness of the room. 

Jora held down my left arm. I don't remember her being this strong. I couldn't even move under her grasp. Vergo stood behind me keeping me in my place as if I had the energy to escape.   
Dellinger pulled a knife from a roll of what looked like cooking knives. Him being in the same _room_ as me, awoke a sense of primal fear that left me fighting every instinct to run. Let alone him coming near me with a knife.   
Being both exhausted and terrified was a strange combination. The only escape I had was distancing myself from all physical awareness.   
_"Law, I'm scared,"_ that was Lami's voice. My dead baby sister.   
"I am too," I murmured.   
"What did he say?" Jora asked.   
"What does it matter?" Dellinger shrugged and brought the knife down. "I'd prefer if he went crazy anyway."  
 _"No, don't leave me!"_ Lami screeched.   
"I have to find mom and dad."  
" _Please, Law!"_  
He pressed the tip of the blade into my mark. Blood pooled around it. Dellinger stopped there and started humming to himself.   
He carved a line into my bicep, slipping the blade underneath and dragged the blade down.   
I roared with the piercing pain that made spots dance across my vision.  
The loosened skin curled as Dellinger separated it from the rest of me. Blood dripped down my arm.   
I clenched my jaw as Dellinger did it again on my forearm. He stayed away from my tattoos. At least for now.   
The air made my exposed nerves burn. Dellinger pause to observe his work.   
_"Law!"_ Lami tugged on my clothes.   
"You're too slow, wait here."  
The skin fell away from my arm, tears caught in my throat and made my chest heavy.   
The smell of burning flesh edged at my senses. A door creaked and the smoke burned my nostrils. _No, no, no!_  
I jerked my wrist free of Jora and managed to sit up. I shoved Vergo back. They left the door open, I had to get out of here. Vergo slammed my head back into the table before I could sum up the energy to make a run for it. I heard the sound of a gun cocking   
"Do it, coward," I dared. My heart jumped into my throat. "Me and Cora will watch you burn in hell with Doffy." Vergo clenched his jaw  
 _Luffy doesn't deserve another scar you fucking dumbass.  
_ "No. I'm not done playing with him yet," Dellinger whined like a small child.  
"This is getting out of hand, you're acting like a child, just kill him already," Vergo argued.   
"You don't want Law to pay for what he did to Doffy?" Dellinger asked.  
"You make him pay, by getting rid of him."   
"That's too easy," Dellinger said. "I want him to live with the memory of the life he almost had," Dellinger smirked and stared down at me. "Besides, I'm having too much fun with this." Dellinger smiled and dragged the blade over another layer of my skin.   
I watched the blood pool and drip around my arm.  
Again I roared a noise that was beast like. Not even Lami's voice dared to relieve me of my crippling reality.  
Dellinger made another cut, and another, peeling away my skin.   
More roaring.  
More blood.  
More burning.   
More stinging.  
More pain.  
 _Please Luffy, come soon.  
_ Dellinger started to make another cut when:   
"Dellinger," Buffalo said from the doorway behind me. "Stussy and her brother are here."   
"Don't look so hopeful Trafalgar. Your girlfriend isn't here for you. We have business." Dellinger wiped the knife clean on my jeans and put it away. "Clean this up, make sure his wounds aren't infected." Dellinger left the room. Peroxide was poured over my arm and bandages left for me to deal with. I tried to listen to the real voices but it was a fruitless effort.   
Especially when the voices in my head started talking again. All at once.   
Cora was telling me to hide.   
Lami, asking me to stay.  
Cora was dead in the snow.   
My fingers numbed with the cold.   
Smoke filled my lungs.  
The snow was turning pink, then red.   
My parents were lying on the floor of a burning hospital. Dead.  
Sweat dripped down my back.  
And I made a crude effort to bandage my arm while my senses betrayed me.   
There was so much blood. My fingers became slick in the stuff.   
It wasn't until I was finished that I realized I wrapped it too tight. I couldn't bring myself to redo it. All I wanted right now was sleep.   
_"Torao."_ Since when was Luffy one of the voices? The sight of his fucked up foot in Doflamingo's basement was warranting enough to grant him a place there.   
And seeing him in the hospital. Was it my blood or Luffy's that covered my hands?  
" _Law!"_ Luffy screeched. Luffy had never said my real name.  
Not in front of me anyway.   
"Traffy?" That wasn't in my head. Stussy and her brother... no...Dellinger recognized Luffy. How?   
"Mugiwara?" I dared.  
"Torao!" Luffy spoke a little louder, the door handle jiggled. I got up and moved to the door. My back still ached as I moved.  
"Torao, are you okay?" Luffy's voice was hushed.   
"No," I muttered. I leaned against the door.  
"It's locked," Luffy said.   
"Vergo-ya has a key."   
"Okay, I'll be right back," Luffy said.   
"Don't leave-" I started to say. Luffy's footsteps were already disappearing. Time couldn't have gone any slower than in the time it took Luffy to come back.   
"Trace got them for me!" Luffy said. That must have been the "brother." The door clicked. I sat up and Luffy opened it the light that poured into the room stabbed at my eyes.   
"T-torao..." Luffy looked at me, horrified. He fell to his knees to be eye level with me. He took my face between his hands.   
"Dellinger did this to you?" Luffys asked. I met his earthy brown eyes. _Luffy._ Seeing him was being able to breathe after almost drowning.   
"Yeah," I said. Luffy hugged me. Buried his face into my shoulder. I wrapped my good arm around him. I wanted to cry. Wanted to sob and fall apart in his arms.   
In his arms I was safe.   
In his arms, the voices didn't batter me with their torment.  
"Your back... it looks like an animal-"  
"Yeah."  
"I'm gunna kick his ass," Luffy decided.   
'Only after I kill him,' I wanted to say. But Dellinger's words echoed in my head. If he got his hands on Luffy he'd do to Luffy what he's done to me and worse.   
"Just get me out of here," I muttered. 


	78. Friends

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You guys remember all those tests I was freaking out about in May?   
> Well I'm getting the results on Saturday   
> I dont think I care very much.... but still kinda freaked out
> 
> See ya next week <3

_**♡Law♡** _

"Torao." Luffy pulled away and ran his hands through my hair. His brown eyes looked into mine. "I can't just walk away knowing he did this to you."   
" _Please_ Love, just get me home," I pleaded. Anything to keep Luffy away from that monstrosity of a human being. Luffy held my face between his hands and rubbed his thumb over my cheek. I leaned into his hand.   
"Okay," He relented. "Only because that can't be a healthy amount of blood to lose." Luffy helped me to my feet. We headed down the hall and almost made it to the door unseen.   
"Hey!" Buffalo called.   
"Shit," Luffy cursed. He threw the door open gunshots rung through the room.   
_"Law!"_ Luffy's voice hammered inside my head. But Luffy hadn't spoken a word. Luffy pulled me out the door and slammed it shut behind us.   
"What about Stussy-ya?" I asked as we made our way down the hall. Luffy was almost moving too fast for me to keep up. Almost.   
"She said to leave without her and Trace."   
"Who the hell is Trace?" I asked.   
"She said she's training him," Luffy replied. I cradled my arm to my chest, it hurt to move. I leaned against the wall. Luffy brushed his fingertips over my fucked up arm. I had done a really shitty job at bandaging it, parts of my wounds were still exposed and the bleeding hadn't stopped. Not completely anyway.   
"Luffy-ya," I murmured. Luffy looked up at me. I pressed my forehead to his.   
"I'm really glad you came for me," I said. "I wanted to die in there, and that scares me so much..."  
"Torao..." Luffy pressed a kiss to my lips, treating me as if I could shatter at any moment. The elevator dinged. "Let's get outta here." He grabbed my hand and we went to the vacant lobby. Outside it was dark. Luffy lead me across the street when we reached the other side, headlights down the ally turned on. The car came towards us and Sanji was in the driver's seat.  
"You look like shit," He greeted. "Get in." Luffy and I got into the back seat.   
"There's no flight to Flevance in the next twenty-four hours so we're taking the train which leaves in thirty minutes," Sanji explained.   
"But, you'll draw a shit ton of attention, looking like that, so I'm going to stop at the thrift store up here, can you idiots handle waiting in the car?" Sanji pulled into the road.   
"Not too difficult."  
"Good. Luffy, you should text Stussy and tell her, her car is gunna be left at the station."  
"Wait until after we leave, if something went wrong Dellinger will know where we are," I said. Sanji nodded.   
"Do you know if Fai's okay?" I asked Luffy.   
"She's worried about you, but she's fine," Luffy said. I nodded. A few minutes later, Sanji pulled into the parking lot of a thrift store.   
"What size are you?" Sanji asked.   
"Medium?" I replied. Sanji left the car.   
"You know, that text sucked," Luffy said. I scoffed.   
"At least I warned you," I said. "Some just disappear instead of getting on their flight."   
"Well, I didn't know I was gunna be kidnapped," Luffy remarked.   
"Fair enough," I adjusted in my seat. "C'mere." Luffy unbuckled and scooted closer to me. I kissed him and was reminded again, that I was safe. I'd always be safe with Luffy. Luffy leaned closer to me and bit my lip. He hummed against my lips as they parted. Luffy jumped when the car door opened. I wanted to keep kissing him, but that could wait until we got home.   
"Here," Sanji dropped a plastic bag into Luffy's lap. There was a black button-up shirt with some sort of yellow pattern on one side and ace bandages. Unused ones. Luffy went back to his side of the car and buckled up. I unwrapped my mediocre job and redid it. I covered up my entire arm, all the way up to my shoulder. With the second bandage, I wrapped up my lower back and stomach. It wasn't bleeding, but with all this movement it might reopen and there was no need to bleed out on a train car.   
I pulled the shirt on to discover the pattern was a heart shape that looked a lot like the tattoo on my shoulders. I left the top three buttons undone.   
The ride home was long and lasted well into the night. People came and went with each city we stopped at between Dressrosa and Flevance. And I was so tired. My back ached and my arm throbbed. Luffy sat in the seat next to me, holding my hand and leaning on my shoulder. Sanji on the other side of him.

The train came to a stop in Flevance and the three of us got off. I was raining, well, trying too, and the streets were empty with only the street lights to reveal them. We walked to my house, where the lights were still on.   
I was surprised to find my front door unlocked. I walked inside to find my friends, arguing in my living room.  
"Glad to see you all care," I said. All four heads turned to me. Not only were Sachi and Fai in the living room, but Bepo, Jean, and Penguin too.   
"Law!" Bepo waisted no time in running towards me and trapping me in a bear hug.   
"Ow," I muttered when Bepo hit the wounds on my back.   
"Sorry." He let go of me and stepped away.   
"Boss, what happened to you?" Penguin asked his eyes went to my arm.   
"The usual," I said. "Imprisonment, torture, ballsy boyfriend coming to save me." The four of them stared at me in silence for a moment.   
"And you're not gunna call the police?" Jean Bart asked, crossing his arms.   
"No," I retorted with a scoff.   
"Why the fuck not?" Sachi scoffed.   
"Sachi-ya, don't worry about it, I'm fine." That was a blatant lie.   
"And what's to stop that dipshit from doing it again?" Penguin asked. If he had a conscience I'd put my hopes on that. I sighed.   
"An entire network of black market sellers." That probably wasn't true.  
"What shit have you gotten into?" Sachi fixed a vehement glare on me  
"Trust me, you don't want to know," I muttered, I really just wanted to go to bed. Maybe I'd get real sleep there, especially since Luffy was here.   
"More importantly, why the hell did you keep it from us? We're your friends, man!" Penguin's words were rigid.   
"Exactly, I didn't want to drag you into my mess," I glanced down to the ground. Of course, I had thought to tell them. But the less they knew, the better.   
"That's such bullshit," Penguin spoke almost under his breath.  
"Whatever," I resigned.   
"It's not 'whatever,'" Sachi barked. "How the hell are we supposed to have your back if you pull shit like this? Friends tell each other this kind of stuff."   
"Just like they tell their friends when they're in a relationship?" I asked, shooting a glare at both Penguin and Sachi. _Shit that was too far._ And it definately didn't matter right now.   
"What?" Bepo and Jean asked in confusion. _Shit._ Penguin started blushing furiously.   
"Don't change the subject, Law," Sachi snarled.  
"Law, you've been weird and distant since Christmas," Bepo cut in, probably to keep this from becoming a shouting match. "We're worried." I sighed. This wasn't something to get angry over...   
"If it's that big a deal, I'll fill you in and tell you more about what's going on. Right now, I'm exhausted and going to bed, I'll see all of you tomorrow," I grumbled.   
Sachi pressed his lips together and sighed through his nose.  
"Alright boss, see ya," he said, his tone a bit abrasive.   
"Man, I'm just glad you're okay," Penguin said, engulfing me in a hug.   
"Thanks, Peng," I muttered.   
"Take care if yourself boss," Jean Bart said, Bepo and the others nodded to his words.   
"Sanji-ya, you're welcomed to my couch and help yourself to the kitchen," I said before heading to my room. I heard my friends leaving as I walked down the hall. Fai followed.  
"Law, what happened?" She asked once we were in my room, her brows knitted and lips pressed into a flat line.  
"Do you mean to my arm?" My hand was throbbing, I probably wrapped it too tight.  
"And the rest of you."  
"Dellinger took it upon himself to flay me, I was waterboarded," I started to unbutton my shirt it had become speckled with my blood. I should take the time to properly clean my wounds and have Bepo look at it. Maybe I'll ask him tomorrow. "He covered me in cuts, let the others put cigarettes out on my back, and he put a rat and a hot bucket on my back. If you must know, they kept me in a dark room that was the perfect fucking trigger for me."  
"Law-" She uttered. I turned my back to her. I didn't need to see the concerning expression I knew was plastered over her features.   
"What's worse is Dellinger scared the shit out of me." I shook my head. "He talked like Doflamingo, I felt like I was already staring at Luffy's dead body." I bit my lip and looked skyward.  
"I'd be dead if it weren't for Luffy..." I didn't want to admit that. Fai was silent for several seconds.   
"I'm glad your not," She whispered. Fai's arms enveloped me. Her cheek rested on my back. My shoulders tensed with the contact.   
"Me too," I sighed. Fai pulled away. "Did you happen to grab what I left in the mailbox?"  
"Yeah, on the nightstand." Sure enough, my wallet, keys, and phone were all sitting there. "Law, thank you."  
"You're family Fai, you don't have to thank me."   
"I know," Fai said. She left the room with that. I turned the light off a slid into bed.   
A little while later, Luffy slipped into our room I heard him rummage through the dresser drawers before he crawled under the covers.   
"You awake?" Luffy asked quietly. He didn't wrap his arms around me or even touch me like he usually would when we went to bed.   
"Yeah," I said. I shifted onto my other side to face Luffy. "C'mere."   
"If I touch you, I'll hurt you," Luffy muttered.   
"Probably," I agreed. " But I don't care." Luffy scooted closer to me. He wrapped his arms around me, sliding his hands up my back, and was extremely cautious when he settled onto my fucked up arm. I winced but ignored the momentary sting. I wrapped both arms around him, hugging him close to me. _Safe._  
"I love you," I said quietly.   
"Love you too," Luffy replied.

Usually, I slept very well with Luffy next to me. This was not the case. I slept about as well as I did in the weeks after Cora died. Plagued with nightmares of him. I had gotten less than an hour of sleep the first time I jolted awake. The thoughts of Dellinger coming back kept me awake. Dellinger doing to Luffy what he had done to me left me sick to my stomach. 

The second time I had been asleep for less than twenty minutes, the only thing to distract me from my own thoughts was staring at the clock on my phone.   
  
And the third, less than fifteen. I gave up after that. Luffy was still sound asleep next to me.   
"Luffy-ya," I shook him gently. I don't want to wake him but I couldn't take this anymore. Luffy's sleeping figure was starting to look like a lifeless corpse. Being alone with my thoughts was tearing me apart. The exhaustion was so much more than needing a night of sleep. It was the kind that took weeks to recover from. The kind that made all other activities tedious regardless of the joy I took from them. Luffy stirred and stretched, bones popping. He settled, pulling the blanket tighter around his shoulder. "Luffy-ya." Luffy yawned.  
"Torao, 'wus the matter?" Luffy asked rubbing his eyes.   
"I can't sleep," I murmured.   
"Oh," Luffy mumbled, he shifted onto his back. "C'mere." I moved slowly, not wanting to invoke the wrath of my injuries. I laid on him, my chest pressed to his. Luffy hugged me and ran his fingers through my hair.  
"Nightmares?" Luffy asked.   
"Yeah," I replied. _And other things._  
"What about?" Luffy started tracing circles into my back, avoiding the cuts and burns as best he could.   
"You, and Fai, Dellinger, Cora, Doflamingo," I said.   
"Why are you having nightmares about me?'" Luffy asked. "I'm right here and not going anywhere." I nuzzled into Luffy's neck.   
"I know." 

The next morning, after getting at least a couple hours of sleep with Luffy, I got up early, made breakfast for Luffy, Sanji, and Fai to find when they woke up, got ready for work, and made it there early like I had intended to.  
Bepo was always early for his shift. Always at the hospital before I got there. Rarely was he on time, and never was he late. So when I found Bepo in my office, I wasn't surprised, I was expecting it.   
"You're early," Bepo said, he was on his phone.   
"Yeah, I wanted to ask if you could check something out for me," I said.   
"Sure, what is it?" Bepo asked he pocketed his phone.   
"My injuries, I'm worried some might need stitches, or even be infected," I said.  
"Injuries? Plural?"   
"Aside from my arm, I've got a bad one on my back."  
"Okay," Bepo agreed. I closed my office door and unbuttoned my shirt.   
"Shit," Bepo muttered when he saw all the cuts on my skin.   
"That's not even the worse of it," I muttered. I undid the bandages around my stomach and back. Those needed to be changed for sure. Bepo cringed.   
"You used ace bandages to wrap a wound?"   
"Didn't have much of a choice." Once I finished I turned around.   
"Shit," Bepo cursed again.   
"You do need stitches," Bepo said. "How long have you had this?"   
"A couple days, but it's too late now," I said.   
"Yeah," Bepo agreed. "It's infected too."   
"Damn it," I muttered. But I knew that was a likely case. "How bad?" I felt Bepo's fingers on my skin.   
"You'll need more than just an antibiotic cream," Bepo said. "You have a ring around it too, a burn. What did this?"   
"A rat," I said. "I don't know if it was wild or from a pet store."   
"How the hell?" Bepo muttered.   
"The ring is from a hot bucket."   
"You were tortured?" Bepo asked.   
"Yeah."   
"Why?"   
"Killing Doflamingo," I muttered.   
"I thought you didn't-"  
" _I_ didn't. But I helped." Bepo poked at some of the cuts on my back.   
"How did you get away with it?"   
"An assassin for the government asked me to help. When the trial started, that same assassin assured I wasn't arrested. They helped Luffy-ya get me out of there too," I explained.   
"When the did this happen?"   
"Christmas."  
"You're a dick, I can't believe you kept that from us," Bepo muttered.   
"I didn't want to drag you guys into it, hell, I didn't want to drag Luffy-ya into it either."   
"The scratches up here are different, older too."  
"That's not from-" my faced heated up. "That was Luffy-ya."  
"What a-Oh." Bepo snorted out of laughter.   
"Shut up," I huffed.   
"Sorry," Bepo continued poking at me.   
"Can I see your arm too?" Bepo asked. I unwrapped my arm and let Bepo look at it.   
"These were a little more than 12 hours ago." Bepo cringed again when he saw my wounds.   
"Flayed," I said before he could ask.   
"What about the scar there?" Bepo gestured to the scar on my shoulder, where Zoro shot me.   
"From the night Joker died, our plan got screwed up and I got shot," I explained.   
"That's why Luffy's mark is scared?" Bepo asked with a sullen voice.   
"You noticed that?"   
"Of course I did, so did Sachi." A silence passed between us.   
"These wounds are right on top of your lighter patches," Bepo noted.   
"Are they?" I mutter, looking down at my arm. They were.   
"Law, you really need someone who can prescribe you antibiotics and make sure you didn't get a disease. "   
" No way in hell, people ask too many questions. I can prescribe me antibiotics."   
"Don't do that," Bepo advised. "Hiluluk would look at it."  
"He'll ask questions," I argued. Bepo shook his head.  
"He owes me a no-questions-asked," Bepo said.   
"Really? What'd you do for him?"   
"I picked him up from the police station, he was naked," Bepo said.   
"What the fuck?" I asked.   
"He owes me," Bepo stated. "You'll see him?"   
"Yeah, if that's the case," I agreed.   
"For now I'll grab some bandages that are actually meant for open wounds." Bepo stood and left the room, closing the door behind him. A few minutes later, Bepo came back. I let him wrap up my back properly, then my arm.   
"Thanks, Bepo-ya." I pulled my shirt back on and made myself presentable and sat behind my desk.   
"Law?"  
"Hm?"   
"What did you mean last night?"  
"What part of last night?" I asked I knew Bepo was asking about the remark I made about Sachi and Penguin.   
"You said something about one of us hiding a relationship," Bepo said.  
"It's not my place to say, I was just being a dick last night because Sachi-ya and Penguin-ya were pissing me off," I explained.   
"Oh."   
  
By lunch, Bepo had already talked Hiluluk into helping me. So towards the end of my shift, I found time to see Hiluluk.   
I knocked on his office door.   
"Come in," he called. I pushed the door open and went inside. Hiluluk was at his desk, behind a mess of papers and books.   
"Hi Law," the old man greeted without looking up.   
"Hi," I muttered.   
"Bepo said you had scratches from a rat?"   
"Yeah," I answered. Hiluluk stood from his seat, still with his eyes glued to the book.   
"Can I see?" He asked.   
"Mhm," I hummed, starting to undo my shirt again.   
"No fever, headache, vomiting, rashes or unusual back pain?" Hiluluk asked, finally look up from his book.   
"No," I said. Hiluluk came around his desk to examine my back. He took it upon himself to undo the bandages.   
"Is your arm from an animal too?"   
"No." Hiluluk nodded and poked at my back just like Bepo had.  
"You should have rabies shots too," Hiluluk advised.   
"You can do that, can't you?"   
"Yeah, I'll need a couple of minutes to prepare it," Hiluluk said. "I'm gunna prescribe you Doxycycline."  
"Alright." Hiluluk left the room, I took the time to rewrap my wound and put my shirt back on, the last thing I need is Kureha, or anyone else for that matter, walking in and seeing my wounds. Hiluluk came back soon enough, he gave me the shots I needed.   
"You'll have to remind me in three days to give the next one, and so on," Hiluluk said. "I'll keep your doses in here so you can come up whenever."   
"Thanks."  
"Yep," Hiluluk said with an upbeat tone. Hiluluk returned to his desk, he rummaged through the drawers before scribbling on a paper and handing it to me. "Your prescription." I took the paper from him and went back to my own office. 


	79. Memories

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In case you didnt get the memo (posted on tumblr) I'm leaving town for a couple weeks I'm heading out tomorrow morning so I'm posting this chapter a little early next weeks chapter might be a little late.

_**♡** _ _**Luffy♡** _

"Heyy, Fai?" I poked my head through her partially open bedroom door. She was sitting on her bed, her laptop open. Clothes were all over the room shoes too.  
"What's up?" She asked, glancing up from her computer for just a moment.   
"What are some good memories Torao has about Cora?" I asked I let myself in her room and plopped onto her bed. Fai smiled.   
"Why do you wanna know?"   
"Traffy couldn't sleep last night, he said he was having nightmares," I explained. Fai's smile fell.   
"Did he sleep at all last night?"   
"Yeah, not much though." I crossed my legs.   
"What does that have to do with good memories of Cora?"   
"Well, when I get nightmares, Sabo always reminds me of good memories of my marks and it helps, so it might help Torao."   
"You're sweet Luffy, I'm glad Law has you," Fai said. That made me blush. "Let's see..."  
"Oh, the first day Law moved to Dressrosa...

 _"Wooah, what's with those patches on your skin?" Fai asked, her big yellow bow getting in Law's face as she got too close._  
_"Baby 5, that's rude," Doflamingo scolded._  
_"But dad, they look so cool!" Fai said._  
_"Don't call me that," Doflamingo glared at her._  
_"Don't call me Baby 5. My name is Fai."_  
_"Leave him be," Cora cut in. "Doffy." Cora leaned close to Doffy, whispering under his breath._  
_"Are you sure she was his mother?" Doffy asked. Fai tilted her head, curious to hear what the adults were talking about._  
_"Your name's Law?" Buffalo asked._  
_"Yeah," the boy with patchy skin said._  
_"That's weird-" Fai's attention was torn between the boy and the adults._  
_"She had a daughter too, but she's dead, her husband too, Law's the only one to survive." Fai glanced back at the boy. His parents were dead?_  
_"Hey!" Fai grabbed Law's arm and pulled on it. "Do you like comic books? I've got a bunch!" Fai got a smile from Law._  
_"Yeah, what do you have?"_  
_"C' mon, I'll show you," Fai said, she pulled took Law's hand and lead him to her room. When they got to the top floor, she pushed the door open to reveal a room decked with video games scattered all over the floor by the TV, comic books covered her bed and toys littered the room._  
_"Wow, these are so cool!" Law said as he and Fai poured over the comic books that were spread all over Fai's bed. The two laid on Fai's bed for what seemed like hours reading on comic books._

 _"Hey, Fai, look," Cora came into Fai's room with a box of comics._  
_"I picked these up a couple days ago, I forgot about 'em in the trunk of my car," Cora said he set the box down on her bed._  
_"Thanks, Uncle Cora!" Fai jumped up and started digging through the box._  
_"Is the Sora, Warrior of the Sea?" Law asked quietly about the comic Fai had just disregarded._  
_"Looks like, why don't you come see for yourself?" Cora asked. Law crawled over the bed to go through the boxes._  
_"Wow, there's so many," Law muttered._  
_"Hey, look it's another Sora one," Fai gave it to Law, the last of the comic in the box Cora had brought._  
_"Thanks, Roci-" Cora poked the space to between Law's eyes before he could finish._  
_"I'm Cora, or Uncle Cora, 'kay?"_  
_"Okay, Cora," Law said, rubbing his face. Fai giggled._  
_"Thanks, Uncle Cora!" Fai said._

"Traffy liked comic books?" I asked. Fai nodded.   
"He still does, he'd never admit it though," Fai said. " _Sora, Warrior of the Sea_ is still his favorite."   
"That Cora sounds so cool," I mused.   
"I've got a picture around somewhere," Fai stood and went to a bookshelf next to her closet door.   
"I wouldn't be surprised if Law had a stash around here somewhere," Fai said.   
"Eh? Where would he even hide it?"   
"Who knows," Fai said. She pulled a fancy notebook from the top shelf and returned to her bed flipping through the pages. "Ah, here it is, I think Law was 16 or 17 in this." Fai passed the book to me and there was a picture of her, Law, and the man with the clown-ish makeup. I frowned. Right, Law told me about that. I pushed the memory of Ace dropping to the ground away. Cora had been different with Law and I had to remember that.   
The picture was taken from the backseat, Law was in the driver's seat, looking very stressed, while Cora was laughing.   
"Law was learning how to drive, I think."   
  
_"Shit!" Law cursed, he ran a stop sign._  
_"Language, Law," Fai snickered from the back seat._  
_"Turn left here, don't forget the blinker," Cora instructed Law. Law flicked the blinker on and turned onto the next street. Just as he got back up to the speed limit, Law slammed on the breaks and the car hit a big bump with a loud yelp._  
_"Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit," Law hissed. Cora started laughing._  
_"WHy ArE you laughing I just hit a dog!" Law yelled. Fai peeked out her window and started laughing too. Fai took her phone out to take a picture of the two in the front seat._  
_"You sadistic fucks," Law put the car in park and jumped out. He looked under the car, stood up straight and look around in confusion. Cora leaned over the driver side and rolled down the window._  
_"Law, the dog is on this side," Cora said. Law went to the other side of the car, the dog was running down the street, in the opposite direction they were going. Cora rolled down his window._  
_"What you did was scare the crap out of a dog and hit a pothole," Cora said._  
_"I hate all of you," Law muttered. He got back into the car and pulled forward._  
_"Thanks to the whiplash," Buffalo hissed._  
_"I'd rather you get whiplash than hit a dog," Law retorted._  
_"Heartless, Surgeon of Death strikes again," Fai joked. Law glared at her from the rearview mirror._  
_"Stop at the park at the end of the road so Fai can have a turn," Cora instructed. Law continued down the road. When they got to the park, Law pulled into a parking space and put the car in park._  
_He and Fai got out of the car to switch places._  
_"Nice parking," Fai remarked_  
_"Like, you could do any better," Law retorted._  
_Fai and Law got into the car._  
_"Damn, you're too tall," Fai said, pulled the seat up and buckling up. She pulled out of the space, then pulled into the rode._  
_"Fai, one foot," Cora said._  
_"Oh," Fai muttered._  
_"And you're making fun of my parking," Law muttered._  
_"I can hear you!" Fai said._  
_"Good," Law said._

"So Cora taught Torao to drive?" I asked.   
"Yep, Cora pretty much raised, me, Buffalo, and Law on his own. He spent the most time with us and defended us when Doffy or the others got really pissed at us."   
"Yeah?" Luffy asked.   
"He made sure Law was able to get into a college right away after he graduated, that nerd graduated two years early and made it so we couldn't graduate together."  
"Wow," I said. My Torao was so smart.   
"Oi, Luf!" Sanji called, he was walking down the hall.   
"I'm in here!" I called. Sanji came into the doorway of Fai's room, Sanji and I had been watching TV before I came to talk to Fai.   
"Nami wants us to meet them in Rainbase the day after tomorrow,"   
"Oh, okay," I said. "Hey, we haven't been there yet."   
"It's close to Alabasta, so Nami is gunna go see Vivi for a little while," Sanji said. "And Usopp went to see Kaya this morning, he'll come back the same day Nami does."   
"Alright!" Sanji went back out to the living room. "What else?"   
"Hm," Fai hummed, she tapped her chin.   
"Oh, when Law starting doing stuff for Dofamingo, I think around 15? Anyway, That's when Law started to really hate Doflamingo. As soon as Doffy figured out how smart Law really was, he started using him. Cora hated it as much as Law. It took a little while, but when Law realized he was being used, he ran away..."

 _Cora and Fai had been looking for Law for hours. It was Late and Fai had school the next day, but there was no way she was going home without Law._  
_"Fai, I'll keep looking for him, but you gotta get home," Cora sighed as they headed back to the car._  
_"No, the meeting is in two days, there's black market sellers all over town, they'll pick up Law if they find him," I argued._  
_"I know, but Vergo has been training him, Law will be able to handle himself," Cora said._  
_"Not if Kaido or the Mountian Witch finds him," Fai argued. They both got back to the car and headed downtown, they had covered all the places Law would go except the coffee shop he liked to study at. It was a place a lot of kids from school went to study. The shop was still filled with students, despite it being almost 1 AM._  
_Fai jumped out of the car right away and headed inside._  
_"Hey, Fai!" A classmate called. "You ready for that test in math tomorrow?"_  
_"Can't talk, have you seen Law?" Fai asked._  
_"No," he scrunched his nose. Fai continued on. Cora came in right after. Fai had already walked through the whole shop by then._  
_"He's not in here," Fai said._  
_"You sure? Let's look again." And they did. They were headed back to the car when they heard fighting and shouting coming from the alley next to the shop._  
_"Hey might be around the club, that's the last place he'd go, but that's exactly why he might be there," Fai said._  
_"Hang on, go wait in the car," Cora instructed. He went around the corner. Fai followed, staying behind._  
_"Fuck off you piece of shit!" That was Law. Fai knew his voice anywhere, but she couldn't make out which figure was him in the dark alley. Not until he threw a punch that knocked the other onto his ass. There was a third figure on the ground. Cora stood a few paces in front of Fai, watching what was going before he stepped in. The kid got to his feet._  
_"Psycho!" He shouted, nearly running into Cora._  
_"You okay?" Law asked he helped the one on the ground._  
_"Fine," said the other kid."Sorry for the bother."_  
_"The fuck are you talking about?" Law asked._  
_"You're Law right?"_  
_"Yeah, so?"_  
_"You used to live in Flevance, huh?"_  
_"Yeah, so?" Law repeated._  
_"I used to live there too, my family evacuated."_  
_"Mine didn't, what's your point?"_  
_"I'm Bepo," he said._  
_"Well, Bepo-ya, if that kid bothers you again, I'll kick his ass all over," Law said._  
_"Thanks," Bepo said._  
_"Law," Cora said._  
_"Shit," Law muttered, he stuck his hands in his pockets. "I'm not going back, Uncle Cora."_  
_Cora sighed and took a step closer to Law. He nearly tripped as he did._  
_"I wouldn't want to either," Cora said._  
_"You should go," Law said, but he was talking to Bepo._  
_"You sure?" Bepo asked._  
_"Yeah, I'll see you 'round."_  
_"Okay," Bepo walked towards Fai and Cora and headed into the coffee shop._  
_"Doffy told Vergo that he hates how much like my mom I am," Law said. "He said it wouldn't be so bad if I looked like her, and that he would've gotten rid of me if I weren't so useful to him."_  
_"I'm sorry Law if I knew he was going to use you, I wouldn't have brought you here to begin with," Cora said._  
_"Then let me leave," Law muttered._  
_"And what about Fai and Buffalo?" Cora asked._  
_"They'll be fine without me," Law said. That wasn't true._  
_"You think Doffy wouldn't use Fai like, he uses you?" Cora asked. "You're not the only kid he keeps around for his own benefit. If the public found out he was a douche of a father and left Fai in an orphanage, well-" Cora didn't finish the thought._  
_"Trust me Law, I hate that he's doing this to you, but you've already been introduced to the black market. You and I both know any one of the other big guys would take you up and use you as leverage over Doffy, or worse."_  
_"I don't care," Law muttered. "At least they're not supposed to be my family."_  
_"Law, come home."_  
_"My home died in Flevance with Lami and my parents."_  
_"That's not true, you love me don't you? And Fai?"_  
_"Of course, I do," Law rubbed his face with the back of his arm._  
_"That's all you need to have a home, now c' mon, Fai's been so worried about you, she's in the car." Fai hid around the corner to go unnoticed._  
_Fai heard the pitter patter of footsteps and ran to the car before they could round the corner. She jumped into the passenger seat. It was another moment before Law and Cora came out of the alley. Law got into the back seat. Fai turned to say something to him, but when she noticed Law's eyes were swollen, she decided against it._

"I know it seems sad, but Law really values that memory of Cora, I think it's because he's protected me from a lot of things that Doflamingo would have done if he were gone," Fai said.  
"Oh," I said. "But who's Lami?"   
"Law's little sister," Fai said.   
"What?" I sat up a little straighter. "Traffy has a sister?"   
"Had, Luffy, she's dead."   
"Oh," I muttered. "What was she like?" Fai shrugged.   
"I never met her, I didn't even know Doffy and Cora had a sister until Cora brought Law to Dressrosa," Fai said. "I bet if you asked Law, he'd tell you all about her."   
"Yeah," I agreed. "Could tell me one more? Maybe one that'll make Torao laugh?"   
"Alright, alright," Fai said.   
"Let's see..." Fai muttered. "Oh, I know!" 

_Law pulled to a stop in front of a girls house. Fai cringed when she saw who it was._  
_"Why are we picking up the girl that has a red mark for you?" Fai asked._  
_"She knows where we're going," Law said._  
_"Yeah, but why her?" Fai asked._  
_"She one of the only people I talk to from school besides you and Buffalo," Law said._  
_"Whatever." Fai huffed. The girl came out of the house and got into the back seat of Law's car._  
_"Hey, guys," Ikkaku said with a smile._  
_"Hi," Fai muttered._  
_"Hey, where are we going?" Law asked._  
_"The busy road up here, then take a left," Ikkaku said. Law nodded and pulled forward. They were supposed to be going to school. But whats one day? Ikkaku led them to an abandoned building in the middle of town. They parked down the street and walked around the back of the building._  
_"This place used to be a mall," Ikkaku explained. "Now kids come here whenever they wanna ditch class."_  
_"How come I've never heard of it?" Fai asked._  
_"Well..." Ikkaku bit her lip. "You're kinda a teacher's pet." Law snorted._  
_"And you make fun of me for being a nerd," Law hissed._  
_"Like, you've heard of it," Fai huffed._  
_"I haven't but that's because I'm a creepy nerd, remember?"_  
_"We're here," Ikkaku cut in, stopping at a cut open fence, right next to a sign that said, 'No Trespassing.'_  
_Law ducked through the hole in the fence first. "Better hurry before someone sees us," Law said. Ikkaku ducked through next, then Fai. Ikkaku led them into the building, through a hole in the wall, they had to climb on top of a bunch of stuff to get to and drop down on the other side._  
_"Flashlight?" Fai asked._  
_"I got em," Ikkaku said, she passed flashlights to both of them. "Homeless people chill here too, so don't get too freaked out when you see someone else."_  
_"You could have said that before we got here!" Fai said._  
_"What's the fun in that?" Law asked._  
_"It's really cool up on the roof," Ikkaku said._  
_"Then let's go there."_  
_"There's an old escalator over this way," Ikkaku pointed. They wandered in the direction =, stopping when Fai chuckled._  
_"Look at that, Law," Fai shined her light on a wall covered in tagging._  
_"Donquixote can suck my cock," Law read out loud._  
_"Yeah, mine too," Law retorted._  
_"That's not very nice," Ikkaku mumbled._  
_"Well, neither is he," Fai said._  
_"There's the escalator," Law pointed out with his light._  
_"Let's go!" Ikkaku took off running for the escalator. Law followed her._  
_"Law!" Fai called, running after both of them. Ikkaku got up the escalator and disappeared onto the next floor before Fai and Law could get halfway up the stairs. They couldn't find her._  
_"Ikkaku!" Fai shouted._  
_"Hey, there might be other people here," Law reminded._  
_"It's echoey as fuck in here, they already know we're here."_  
_"Well, she's going to the roof, it can't be that hard to find," Law muttered._  
_"Ikkaku!" Fai called again, swinging her flashlight around._  
_"Boo!" Ikkaku grabbed Law's shoulders, he jumped while Fai yelped. Ikkaku broke into a fit of giggles._  
_"You ass!" Fai said, shoving Ikkaku._  
_"Awe, c' mon Fai," Ikkaku wiped a tear from the corner of her eye and nudged Fai._  
_"Were did Law go?" Fai asked._  
_"You two are like attached at the hip or something," Ikkaku sighed._  
_"So? He's my best friend," Fai said._  
_"I suppose," Ikkaku muttered._  
_"What's that supposed to mean?"_  
_"Well, I wouldn't bring my best friend on a date," Ikkaku muttered._  
_"Um, neither would Law, it must not have been very clear that you wanted this to be a date," Fai huffed._  
_"Maybe," Ikkaku said._  
_"Why would you even want that? Your mark is red."_  
_"Marks can change," Ikkaku shrugged._  
_"Law doesn't believe in marks, you know," Fai said. Again, Ikkaku shrugged and swung her flashlight around._  
_"Where did he go?" Ikkaku muttered. "Law!"_  
_"Shut up," Law hissed, rushing back towards Ikkaku and Fai._  
_"Why?" Fai asked._  
_"There's cops where we climbed in," Law whispered, his voice full of urgency._  
_"You're joking," Fai said. Law shook his head._  
_"They're right outside, look through there," Law gestured to the opening of the wall Ikkaku and Fai crept to the gap and peeked of the edge, careful to go unseen._  
_"Shit, you're right," Ikkaku muttered, her voice hitched._  
_"Is there another way out?" Fai asked._  
_"Not one that I know of," Ikkaku said with worry painted into her expression._  
_"There has to be," Law said. "There's always another way out."_  
_"Yeah, let's go look," Fai agreed._  
_"You guys aren't scared?" Ikkaku asked as Law and Fai walked on._  
_"Not of the cops," Law said nonchalantly._  
_"I'm more worried about what Doffy will to us," Fai stated._  
_"Or how mad Cora will be," Law added._  
_"You're more afraid of your uncles than guys with guns?" Ikkaku was skeptical._  
_"Yes," Fai and Law said in unison. They headed down the steps to the first floor. Flashlights were all over the place._  
_"Shit!" Fai hissed._  
_"Hey!" Someone yelled._  
_"Back up, back up, go, go, go," Law urged. The three of them ran back up the stairs and across the dark open floor._  
_"There no exit but the gap over there on this floor!" Ikkaku yelled._  
_"Shit, shit, shit, we're trapped. Law grumbled._  
_"Doffy is going to kill us."_  
_"At least you'll be able to leave your room tomorrow," Law muttered. The cops downstairs reached the top. There was no hope for them._  
_"Is there a way down from the roof?" Law asked._  
_"No, the latter that used to be there is missing too many rungs, and it's rusted and won't hold weight."_  
_"Fuck!" Law grumbled._  
_Half an hour later, Fai, Ikkaku, and Law were sitting in the police station. All three of them, looking at their feet in silence. Ikkaku's parents came for her first. She was scolded and yelled at right in front of Law, Fai, and the rest of the police station. They were minors and weren't actually harming anyone, so they weren't arrested._  
_It wasn't Cora or Doffy that came to get them. Vergo stood in front f the, with a scowl._  
_"What do you two think this will do for the media?" Vergo asked. Neither of them answered. "Get in the car," Vergo ordered. Fai and Law made their way outside with Vergo right behind them. Vergo made Law and Fai sit at the kitchen table until Cora got home well before Doffy._

 _"Why aren't you at school?" Cora asked suspiciously._  
_"I picked them up from the police station," Vergo said._  
_"What?" Cora asked._

 _"They were picked up with a girl at the abandoned mall," Vergo said. Cora rubbed his eyebrows._  
_"What girl?" Cora asked, looking back and forth between Fai and Law. "One of you better answer me or I'll have no choice but to have Doffy deal with this."_  
_"Ikkaku," Fai said. Law glared at her. Both of them knew it'd be much worse if Doflmaingo punished them._  
_" Neither of you have mentioned that name before."_  
_"She has a mark for Law."_  
_"Fai!" Law snapped._  
_"You skipped school for a girl?" Cora started laughing._

 _"No," Law muttered with a pink blush over his face. "We went to see the abandoned mall."_  
_"Both of you dumbasses go to your rooms," Cora was still laughing._

"Shishishi, how cute," I said.  
"Cora was so mad at us," Fai shook her head. "The first time Law brought her over, Cora wanted to kick her out."  
"Did Torao date her?" I asked.   
"Yeah, not until way after that, but yeah," Fai said. I nodded. The front door clicked.   
"Torao?" I called.   
"Yeah," Law called back.  
"Thanks, Fai." I jumped up from Fai's bed and ran to the living room. I stood on my toes and kissed him.   
"Hello to you, too," Law said, wrapping his arm around me. Law kissed me. Sanji turned the volume of the TV up.   
"Is your arm okay? And your back?"   
"Yeah, I'm fine, Love," Law assured. 


	80. Sleep

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My dudes the chapters on time :D anyway I edited this on my phone so forgive my mistakes and so on

**_♡Law♡_ **

Again I couldn't sleep. Luffy was laying next to me sound asleep. I envied him. My eyes were so heavy, and yet I had been lying there for an hour and not slept a wink.  
_"Law, don't leave me here!"_ I pushed back the voice in my head. Absolutely fucking not. I'm not going to deal with the fucking voices on top of nightmares and insomnia.  
"Luffy-ya," I muttered, reaching out to touch him.  
"Torao," Luffy muttered back.  
_"Law! Please."_ The voice was sobbing, it made tears well up in my eyes. Damn it.  
"Mugiwara," I said. Even I could hear the crack in my voice. I clenched his shirt in my fist.  
"Torao?" Luffy asked, reaching out to wrap his arms around me. "What's wrong?" I hugged Luffy and pulled him close, burying my face into his chest. "Baby?" I gathered myself enough to not be mumbling through tears.  
"Nightmares," I muttered.  
"Oh." Luffy ran his fingers through my hair.  
"What about, this time," Luffy rubbed circles into my back.  
"My sister." Sure, that wasn't the nightmare that woke me up, but it sure as hell was bothering me now.  
"Lami, right? Fai mentioned her."  
"She would have been a doctor, she wanted to be," I mumbled.  
"I wish I could meet her," Luffy said.  
"Me too," I said with a small smile at the mere thought of Lami and Luffy interacting. "You'd both drive me crazy."  
"Shishishi, you love us anyway."  
"Yeah." I sighed. "You know the park you took me to for my birthday?"  
"Yep!"  
"My parents used to take me and Lami there all the time before it was falling apart. It used to be really popular when I was a kid."

 _"Law higher! Higher!" Lami shrieked while Law pushed her on the swing._  
_"Kick your legs, I'm tired of pushing you," Law said. Lami just giggled and didn't listen to a word Law said. Law rolled his eyes and pushed her higher, so high the chains lost tension and the swing jerked when Lami came back down._  
_"More!" Lami giggled. Law grabbed hold of the swing and pushed Lami forward, so fast and so hard that he had to run under her as she went up. Lami swung past the stop metal bar the swing hung off of. She shrieked, not giggly one that usually filled the park, but one filled with terror. Law jumped when he heard Lami scream. She was on the swing, clutching the chains like, her life depended on it._  
_Law caught the swing and dragged his bare feet in the sand. Lami didn't stop with the swing, she fell backward, right on top of Law._  
_"That was too high," Lami sobbed and rubbed the sand out of her face._  
_"Ow, get off of me," Law pushed her away, and into the sand just in time for the swing to fly back at them and smack Lami in the head. The swing left a cut on her forehead._  
_"Ouch!" Lami screeched._  
_"Don't touch," Law said as Lami moved to press her hand to her forehead. She didn't know it was bleeding and she didn't need to freak out before Law could get to his parents. "C' mon." Law grabbed her hand and pulled her to her feet._  
_"Mom!" Law called, looking for the bench Law had last seen his parents at. "Dad!" He found them sitting together at the bench he had left them at._

I smiled at the thought. Luffy still ran his fingers through my hair.  
"Does she have a scar from that?"  
"Yeah, she started calling herself Harry Potter after that."  
"Shishi."  
"It looked nothing like a lightning bolt though. It wasn't very noticeable either." Luffy took a deep breath and adjusted his arms around me.  
" If she was Harry Potter, who were you?" Luffy asked.  
"She told me I was Hermione."  
"That's cute," Luffy said, he kissed the top of my head. Sleep was starting to pull me into its depths, though nothing of it felt natural. Nothing like forced sleep to rest on.  
"Lami did stuff like that a lot, to her I was a lot of different book characters," I mumbled.  
"Who else?"  
"I was Amy Trevelene and Annabeth Chase, Jem Finch, and Iorek Byrnison."  
"Isn't Iorek the bear from that movie about a compass or something?"  
"That would be it," I agreed. "Granted, Lami loved those characters from books, we didn't watch movies very much."  
"Mhm." Luffy continued to play with my hair, and I let the feeling lull me to sleep. 

The only thing that woke me next was my alarm. Luffy still played with my hair. But fuck that alarm. I stretched over Luffy, trying to reach my phone on the nightstand. I couldn't reach it.  
"Make it stop," I grumbled into Luffy. Luffy moved, answering my request.  
"Snooze or...?"  
"Mhm," I mumbled. The alarm was silenced and it took me a moment to realize how tired Luffy sounded. I pulled away from him a met his eyes. There were dark shadows underneath them and he looked like he didn't sleep very well.  
"Love, did you sleep at all after I woke you up?"  
"Nope," Luffy smiled a little too proudly at that.  
"Why?"  
"After you fell asleep I stopped playing with your hair and you started to wake up again, so I kept playing with your hair so you'd sleep," he explained. I pressed my forehead to his chest, stunned for a moment.  
"You're insane," I muttered.  
"But you slept the whole night!" Luffy stated.  
"Thank you," I sighed and pressed a kiss to Luffy's lips. "I have to get up."  
"But you hit snooze," Luffy argued, wrapping his arms tighter around me.  
"That," I paused and forced myself to sit up, pushing Luffy's arms away. "Was just a precaution. If you want breakfast I gotta get up." I dragged myself out of bed.  
"If I ask Sanji to make breakfast will you stay in bed with me?"  
"Definately not opposed to the idea, I wish you said that _before_ I got up."  
"Well, come back." Luffy opened his arms up. I sighed and complied. Luffy grabbed his phone off the nightstand. He typed at his phone while I settled back at his side.  
"Sanji's making breakfast!" Luffy declared.  
"Will _you_ sleep now?" I asked him.  
"Uhuh," Luffy hummed. Luffy buried his face into my neck. I let myself fall back asleep.

There was a light tapping on my bedroom door.  
"Yeah?" I called, more into Luffy's neck than to the door. I heard the door open.  
"Food's done," Sanji said.  
"Shit, what time is it?" I asked, already reaching over Luffy for my phone.  
"A little past 7," Sanji replied.  
"Shit," I cursed. I shrugged Luffy's arm off me and got out of bed.  
"Thanks, Sanji-ya," I said as he left.  
"Yep," he called, already down the hall. I grabbed clean clothes from the dresser.  
"Torao?" Luffy muttered, moving around in our bed.  
"Yeah," I said to let him know I was there.  
"Watchya doing?"  
"Getting ready to go to work." I gathered my clothes and went to the bathroom. I took a quick shower, changed my bandages and went into the kitchen. Sanji had taken what little I had in my fridge and pantry and made a decent meal out of it. I was a little impressed.  
Luffy, Fai, and Sanji we at the table eating. Fai was gushing over Sanji's food. I took a Tupperware container and filled it with what I could.  
"Thanks again, Sanji-ya," I said as I closed the container.  
"Mhm," Sanji hummed, paying more attention to his phone.  
"Traffy!" Luffy called just as I was about to head out the door. He rushed to meet me at the door and pressed a kiss to my lips. "See you!"  
"See you," I kissed him again and headed to work.

Bepo insisted on taking another look at all my wounds, especially the one on my back since I could keep an eye on it myself. Bepo informed me it was completely scabbed over and the infection wasn't spreading or getting worse so that was good.

I pulled off my mask and gloves, disposing of them in the biohazard bag, per protocol.  
"Dr. Trafalgar," Kureha said. She stood in the doorway of the prep room, as menacing as ever.  
"Oooh, the boss is in trouble," Penguin snickered.  
"Dr. Kureha," I replied, ignoring Penguin and not bothering to look at her, pulling off the rest of my surgery gear.  
"Is the prescription for antibiotics the reason you missed work the other day?" She asked.  
"That's personal information, but yes," I answered.  
"You better not be overworking yourself while you're injured," Kureha said.  
"I'm not," I assured.  
"If you need time off, it wouldn't be unreasonable."  
"I know," I said.  
"Aside from that, I have a proposition for you when you've got time." Kureha left.  
"That sounds like a promotion if I ever heard one," Sachi said, discarding all of his used surgery gear into the biohazard bin in one fell swoop.   
"If Law's gunna get a promotion who will be head of surgery?" Penguin asked.  
"Probably Crocus," Sachi said. I scrunched my nose at that.  
"That old man is way too slow," I said. "I'd trust one of you guys more."  
"Boss, you flatter me," Penguin said.  
"Don't be, if it were up to me I'd pick Bepo-ya," I said.  
"Hey!" Peng feigned offense. Bepo blushed.  
"Really?" He asked.  
"You think these doofuses would do half the paperwork I have to do?" I asked him.  
"That's fair," Sachi agreed.  
"You guys got clean up?" I asked.  
"Sure do, boss, go see what Kureha's got planned," Jean Bart said.  
"Thanks," I headed up to her office.  
I knocked on the door that was partially opened.  
"Come in," Kureha called. I pushed the door open and let it close behind me.  
"Have a seat, Law," Kureha instructed. She stood and pulled a file from a filing cabinet while I did as she asked.  
"I've got for you, three offers from two of the hospitals in Dressrosa, a hospital in Saboady, another in Goa, and one in Water 7 for you. They want you to work for them, they're offering much higher wages than you make now."  
"No," I said.  
"You don't want to hear what they're offering?"  
"No, I want to stay in Flevance," I said. Kureha nodded with a grin.  
"I thought so, you're a brat like that, and I want to keep you at this hospital," Kureha said. "That's why I suggested a meeting with each of the hospitals offering you a position."  
"And?" I asked.  
"We came to the agreement, that you'd been sort of an on-call surgeon for all the hospitals." Kureha pulled a packet from the file. "Its not a common deal, but it has been done before. You'd be called in for the most difficult surgeries at each hospital, you can have teams from each hospital, or you can take your team here with you."  
"How much traveling would that be?" I asked, tempted to take the offer. There could be the off chance that I miss a visit from Luffy, or a chance that I'd run into him when he travelled.  
"Seeing as the hospitals are in bigger cities, a lot. You'd be kept pretty busy." Kureha offered me the contract. It was already signed by the presidents of each of the hospitals Kureha had mentioned.  
"What about my position here?" I asked.  
"Well that's up to you, you can either stay on as head of surgery or you can take the same deal as the rest of those hospitals."  
"That'd keep me away from here a lot more than I'd prefer," I muttered and started skimming over the contract in front of me.  
It was a 5-year contract. It included how I'd be paid, an estimate of the hours I'd get and so on.  
It was really tempting.  
"I'd have to think this over," I decided.  
"They expect an answer a week from today." I nodded.  
"Can I take this?" I held up the contract.  
"Yeah," she said.  
"Thanks, I have paperwork to do for the surgery," I said, getting up from my seat.  
"Law," Kureha said as I made it to the door. I looked back at her. "This is a really good thing, especially for a surgeon your age."  
"Yeah," I agreed with a small smile that was certainly out of a childish sense of pride.

I got home really late. For no reason other than I lost track of time contemplating the offer Kureha laid out for me.  
Why shouldn't I take it? I'd get to travel a little bit. Sure, I'd be homeless but that didn't matter a whole lot anyway.  
I was still pondering over it on the way home. Maybe I should talk to Luffy about it. Even if he didn't offer much of an option talking it through might make it easier to decide. I pulled into the driveway and the whole house was dark.  
Everyone must be asleep. I entered quietly, careful not to wake Sanji who was asleep on the couch. He and Luffy did have a flight to catch in the morning. I set my stuff down at the table in the kitchen and headed to mine and Luffy's bedroom.  
He was asleep, sprawled out across the bed, taking up as much of it as possible like he usually did when he slept alone. I doffed my work clothes for pajamas and clambered into bed and settled at his side, using his shoulder as a pillow. It would hurt far too much to lay on my back anyway.  
Luffy responded by wrapping his arm around me in his sleep and turning his head toward me.  
I found myself quickly falling asleep in his presence. Maybe I could sleep the whole night tonight.

That was a fucking lie. I jolted awake in a cold sweat, on the verge of hyperventilation. I ran my hand through my hair, trying to get a handle in my breathing.  
It wasn't fucking working and I couldn't fucking breathe. I laid back down, pressing my forehead to Luffy's chest and the rest of my body close to his. I forced my breathing to match his.  
Gave it no other choice.  
It was impossible at first.  
Made breathing harder. Still I forced mine to match Luffy's until my breathing was even and I calmed down.  
I jumped at the crashing sound that echoed through the room.  
I listened carefully for another one. Was someone breaking in or did Sanji or Fai knock something over?  
Another one.  
No. Those noises where in my head they were too close to the sound of the burning hospital caving in on itself.  
_My fault, my fault._ I pushed the thought aside and focused on Luffy and his heartbeat.  
_"Lami!" I screeched._  
The sound of my own voice in my head was very off putting no matter what but this threw me right back into my panicked breathing.  
The crashing was louder and the smell of smoke filled the room.  
"Luffy-ya," I said. He didn't respond, of course, he didn't, he was sleeping.  
Loud, unbearable screaming reached my ears and made my voice catch in my throat.  
"L-Luffy," my voice cracked. I started to shake him.  
Tension built up in my chest and throat.  
Shit, I was going to cry.  
"Torao." Luffy finally woke up. I squeezed him in my arms, burying my face in his chest, filling my senses with _him._ "What's wrong?"  
"Nightmares," I whimpered.  
"Baby, you're hurting me," Luffy said, running his fingers through my hair.  
"Sorry," I mumbled, relinquishing my desperate hold on him but still holding him tight and keeping him close.  
"What do you need, to talk? A distraction?" Luffy asked.  
"Distraction."  
"I can tell you about what I did yesterday," Luffy suggested. I nodded.  
"Me and Sanji and Fai went to the beachfront-" Luffy started. I focused on his voice and his hands moving down to my back where he traced circles on my skin, avoid the cuts and burns that marked it. "They're almost done rebuilding the Ferris wheel, I think it's way bigger than the last one. There's some different rides there than there used to be.  
"Fai got her leg spray painted by this guy that did really cool stuff with spray paint he used fire and it was really cool. Now Fai's leg looks kinda like a gun, it's so cool." Luffy talked until I relaxed in his arms and even then he still talked until he ran out of things to talk about concerning the day he had while I was at work.  
It wasn't enough to keep my mind from wandering back to the fire and Lami.  
"Keep distracting me," I said with a sense of dejection.  
"Um," Luffy hummed, he drew circles into my back in silence for a moment or two before pulling away from me. I tighten my grip around him but Luffy fought me on it and pulled away just enough to press his forehead. He pressed a sweet kiss to my lips. He brought his hand to my hips and kissed me some more.  
The world fell away, no, not some much the world, as my own thoughts. It was just Luffy and his infinitely soft lips and his fingers brushing against my skin. Luffy's lips parted and I deepened our kiss, running my hands down his warm back. By no means was Luffy magical, he was just Luffy and that's all it took.  
I pulled away, taking deep breaths. "That was a really good distraction," I murmured. I kissed him again. What did I ever do without him? Luffy pulled away and pressed a kiss to my forehead.  
"Are you doing any better now?" Luffy asked, meeting my eyes. His were filled with concern.  
"For now at least," I muttered. Luffy kissed my forehead again and hugged me to his chest. I kept my arms around him.  
"Sorry, I'm keeping you up..."  
"Nonsense."


	81. Stay

_**♡** _ **_Luffy♡_ **

Torao was holding me way too tight again. This time around he was asleep. We stayed up together most of the night and it was almost time for me to get up and get to the airport. Leaving Torao worried me. Especially if he still doesn't sleep.  
The alarm on my phone started to go off. Law jerked awake.   
Oops. I reached for the nightstand and turned the alarm off.   
"Baby I have to get up," I said.   
"I forgot you were leaving today," Law muttered. He hugged me tight and said nothing more.   
Law didn't let me get up. He never did that. Not like this. Of course, something was still wrong. I don't even want to think about what they did to Torao.   
What was I thinking, leaving like this?  
"Torao..." I said, chewing on my lip a little bit. "Do you need me to stay?" He didn't respond right away.   
"Please..." his voice was quiet.   
"Okay, I have to talk to Sanji then." Law nodded and let me get up. I went into the living room where Sanji was already up and getting ready to go.   
"Morning, Sanji," I said.   
"Morning." I leaned on the back of the couch where Sanji was sitting.   
"I'm staying here," I told him.   
"Alright," Sanji said with a questioning glance back at me.   
"Traffy needs me, he hasn't been sleeping very well because of nightmares..."   
Sanji nodded.  
"Better let Nami know."   
"Yeah, I'll take you to the airport when you need to gom" I went back to my room where Torao was still in bed. He made room for me, I grabbed my phone before getting back into bed with him. Torao wrapped his arms around me, I hugged him too.   
I called Nami.   
"Luffy?" She answered, sounding sleepy.   
"Did I wake you up?"   
"Sort of, but I wasn't supposed to be asleep."  
"Oh, okay."  
"What's up?"  
"I'm staying home," I said. Law squeezed me momentarily.   
"How long?" She asked,   
"I don't know, Torao needs me home, so until he doesn't." Nami let out a long sigh.   
"Is he okay?"   
"He will be."   
"Fine, just send your hat with Sanji."   
"Okay! See ya." I hung up the phone and dropped it onto the bed.   
"What do you wanna do today? You don't have to work, right?"   
"That's too much to think about, right now I just want to lay here with you," Law said.  
"Alright, I said I'd take Sanji to the airport so get some sleep if you can, okay?" Torao nodded. 

"Torao, its got a dog in it, of course, it's going to be a good movie," I argued. This movie on Amazon looked really good. Law thought it was going to be stupid.   
"That's a wolf, and what if it dies?" Law asked.   
"The dog's not going to die, that's horrible!" I shifted and brought and selected the movie, it pulled up another screen to play the movie. "Who kills a dog in a movie?"   
"Wolf, and Max, Hachiko, Marley and Me, need I go on?" Law retorted.   
"Please Traffy, it looks good!"   
"Fine, but if it's cringy I'm turning it off," Law said.   
"Yes!" I leaned back onto Law.   
"Ow, arm," Law muttered.   
"Sorry!" I sat up again and Torao moved his arm so I could lean against him. The door clicked and Fai came into the house.   
"How much ice cream can you guys eat?" She asked. I looked at her over my shoulder. She had two huge tubs of ice cream under each arm.   
"What the fuck?" Law asked he was looking over his shoulder too.   
"My manager ordered too much ice cream last week and we had leftovers that expire tomorrow and we can sell it.   
"Are those full?" Law asked.   
"One of them is," Fai said.   
"Full one in the freezer, bring the other one here, you better sit your ass down and help us eat it."  
"Sweet, what movie are we watching?"   
"Alpha!" I grinned. Fai set her stuff down, grabbed some spoons and bowls from the kitchen, set the big tub on the coffee table, and sat down on the couch on the opposite end of the couch from me and Torao. She kicked her feet up and rested them on top of my lap.   
"What flavor is it?" I asked, leaning forward for the tub and taking a bowl and spoon from Fai.   
"Caramel Chocolate Chip, the other one it Huckleberry."  
"How are those leftover?" Law asked. "Aren't those popular flavors?"  
"There was a lot of extra," Fai said. I loaded my bowl full of ice cream and played the movie while Fai helped herself to some ice cream.   
We ate until we were sick and the movie was over. Law got through a bowl in a half, Fai three, and I got through six and the other half of Law's. There was still enough for a bowl or two at the bottom of the tub.   
"We still have an entire thing of ice cream to get through," Fai huffed.   
"That's disgusting," Law muttered. The thought of eating any more made me sick.   
"Are Bepo and the rest off work?" Fai asked.   
"I think Sachi-ya and Peng-ya have the day off," Torao said, he was already reaching for his phone. He pressed it to his ear.   
"Hey," Law said after a moment or two, "you've got today off, right?"   
"Sachi too?"   
"I have a little more than a tub of ice cream that we can't finish."   
"Is Bepo-ya working?"   
"And Jean Bart?"   
"Okay, just bring Sachi-ya." Law hung up. I shifted on the couch, leaning more onto Torao.   
"I didn't think eating too much ice cream was possible," I muttered.   
"Eating too much of anything is very plausible," Law sighed.   
"Nuh-uh, you can never eat too much meat," I stated.   
"A normal person can," Fai said.   
"Normal people are boring," I stated.   
"You don't think we're normal?" Fai asked, nudging me.   
"No way." I grinned at her.   
"What movie should we watch next?" Law asked, grabbing the remote and flipping through the movies.   
"I dunno, let's look on Netflix," I said. Toroa opened up the app and started scrolling through the movies.   
"That one!" I decided. It was Coco  
"I don't feel like watching a kid's movie right now," Law sighed.   
"Awe, no fun," I argued. "The soundtrack is awesome, and there are skeletons!"  
"Oh, that looks good," Fai said. Black Summer, it was a TV show.  
"What's it about?"  
"Zombies."  
"Zombies don't make sense, they can just push them back into the grave," I said. Law snorted.   
" _You_ don't like zombies?" Fai asked.   
"Have you ever even watched a Zombie show?" Law asked.  
"Well, no," I admitted.   
"We're watching this," Law decided. He played the first episode. "You'll like it."  
Not three minutes into the episode there was knock on the door.  
"It's open!" Fai called. The door swung open and Sachi and Penguin came inside.   
"That was quick," Law said.  
"You said you had ice- shit that's a big tub," Penguin said.   
"There's another one in the freezer, this one's almost soup," Law said. Sachi went into the kitchen while Penguin found his seat in the reclining chair.   
"Oh, is this Black Summer?" Peng asked.   
"Yeah," Fai said.   
"Oh, man, I've been wanting to watch this."  
"We just started it."  
"How did you end up with so much?" Sachi asked he set the cold tub on the table in front of us and took the melted ice cream into the kitchen, probably to stick it into the freezer.   
"Manager ordered too much," Fai said. Sachi nodded and sat on the armrest of the recliner, now with bowls and spoons for him and Penguin.   
"Oh, hey, what did Kureha want yesterday?" Sachi asked Law while helping himself to ice cream  
"You guys were right, it was, in a sense, a promotion," Law said.   
"Hey, how come you didn't tell me? Isn't that kind of stuff important?"   
"You were asleep when I got home, and I forgot about it."  
"So? What's the word man, fill us in," Sachi all but demanded it.   
"Another hospital wants me to work for them, a few actually." Law paused the show, clearly, our conversation was too distracting for show.   
"You're not leaving us are ya, boss?" Penguin asked. "We'd fall apart without you!"  
"That's dramatic," Sachi muttered.   
"Are you leaving Flevance then?" Fai asked.  
"No, I'm not, damn," Law said with a sigh.   
"They want me to act as an on-call surgeon for them, most of the hospitals are in bigger cities so there's a lot more going on than here."   
"How many hospitals?" Sach asked he rested his elbow on the back of the recliner. Law counted on his fingers, mouthing words as he did.   
"Five, maybe six if I forgot one."   
"Shit, Law," Fai said.   
"That's really cool, Traffy," I said with a huge grin. It must be like the Pirate's Company wanting us working for them.   
"You think so?" Law asked. I nodded.   
"What does that mean for here?" Peng asked.   
"Kureha gave me two options..." Law started to talk about 'Head of Surgery' this and 'Head of Surgery' that and I couldn't follow. I had no idea what that meant.   
"Damn, what are you gunna do?" Sachi asked when Law finished.  
"Don't know yet, I have a week to decide," Torao said.   
"You should do it," I said.   
"Really?" Law looked at me with skepticism.   
"Yeah. You want to, don't you?" I tilted my head.   
"Yeah, I do..." Law admitted.   
"So do it," I insisted.   
"I'd be traveling a lot," Law said.   
"Oh, so we could run into each other?" I asked. Law smiled.   
"It's unlikely, but not impossible."  
"Does that mean we gotta listen to Crocus while you're gone?" Penguin asked   
"Is that what Kureha has you guys do when I take a break?" Law asked.   
"Not exactly," Sachi said. "Unless there was an important surgery. Like when I had to call you for that paperwork around Christmas." Law nodded.   
"You should take it, it sounds like an awesome deal," Penguin said. Sachi nodded.   
"Yeah," Law said, but he still didn't sound very sure of it. Torao shifted so his arm was around my shoulders instead of on the back of the couch. He was getting consumed in his thoughts again.  
"Torao, do you really want it?" I asked.  
"Yeah, of course," Law didn't sound very convincing. "There's just a lot of little things that I'm unsure about."   
"Like what?" Fai asked.   
"Well, for one, leaving you alone in my house," Law said with a smirk making its way into his features. Fai dug the heal of her prosthetic into Law's thigh.   
"You shit," Fai grumbled. "Give me an actual answer."   
"Mostly things going wrong at the hospital here, and me not being here, missing Luffy when he comes home little things," Law explained.  
"Hey, I have no problem going to see you somewhere else," I said.   
"What boss, you think we can't handle ourselves?" Penguin asked, dramatically putting his hand on his chest as if he were offended.   
"Shishi, Torao, you've got nothing to worry about," I assured.   
"Thanks, Love." Law kissed my cheek.   
"So are we gonna watch this or what?" Penguin asked, pointing his spoon at the TV. Law pressed play on the remote. 

"Are you going to come to bed?" Law asked, Sachi and Penguin had left a while and Fai was asleep, still with her legs in my lap.   
"Yeah." I lifted Fai's legs, careful not to wake her and clambered off the couch before setting her legs where I had been sitting. Torao had already gone into our room. I followed him. Torao was already in bed.   
"Sleepy?" I asked climbing into bed with him.  
"'Sleepy' is too cute, 'exhausted' is more accurate," Law said.   
"You think we can sleep the whole night this time?"   
"I ate enough ice cream to be put into a food coma, so maybe," Law said.   
"Does your back still hurt?"   
"Too much to lay on," Law said as he shifted onto his side and laid on my shoulder.   
"And your arm?"   
"Only when I put pressure on it."   
"That's good, right?" Law nodded.  
"Sleep now," Law murmured.   
"Okay." 

"Luffy-ya," Law was shaking me awake again.   
"Another nightmare?" I asked, turning onto my side and hugging him. Law pulled my shirt into his fist and nodded.   
"What about?" I asked running my fingers through his hair and kissing the top of his head.   
"Cora, the night he died," Law said. Law let out a deep breath.   
"You probably think he's some sort of ruthless murderer..." Law mumbled. "I don't blame you, but he raised me and Fai, he-"  
"Torao, I know," I muttered. "Fai told me some stories about Cora."   
"She did?" Law asked.   
"Yeah, she told me about when she first met you," I said. "And Cora gave you guys all those comic books."  
"Oh no," Law mumbled. "I can't believe she told you..."   
"Shishi, you know, I think Sanji mentioned-ah, what was it- Sora?"  
"Damn it, Fai," Law grumbled. "That's it, I'll have to kill you both."   
"You won't! You love me too much," I declared.   
"I'm heartless, remember?"  
"Says who?" I asked. "I'll fight them for you."   
"Tch," Law muttered he slid his hands under the back of my shirt. "What else did she tell you?"  
"Um..." I had to think about it for a moment. "Oh! The time you thought you hit a dog when learning how to drive, she had a picture for that one too." Law pulled away from me, his nose was all scrunched up, but he was smiling.   
"You know too much," he said.   
"I don't know enough. I think I'll ask Fai to show me more pictures of you as a kid," I said.   
"You're awful." Law kissed me.   
"Shishi, am I?" Another kiss. I let my arms hang around his shoulders.   
"The worst." Yet another kiss.


	82. Zoro

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The chapter's a bit short, but it just had to happen this way, but don't worry, you'll get your part two next week! <3

**_PART ONE_ **

****

**_○_ ** **_●○_ **

"Don't move, Roronoa," Zoro knew that voice he wasn't sure where from. It was recently that he had heard it too.   
Zoro kept his hands on the steering wheel. I stared at them. He closed his eyes and focused. He could feel the presence of someone in the back seat. Zoro hadn't before. Maybe he was starting to lose his edge. They were in the seat behind Zoro. Damn. Why did Nami have to rent a car with the darkest windows on the planet?  
"This won't last long, I usually go inside when I pick someone up from the airport," Zoro said.   
"That's fine. My job is to kill you, I don't give a damn who you're picking up."   
"Where's your mark?"   
"None of your business," Zoro snapped. Still with his eyes closed. He could feel the stranger moving.   
"Damn," the stranger said. "That's alright, I'm not getting paid any extra for pinning your mark." Zoro loosened his grip on the wheel. He didn't realize he was gripping it.   
Zoro's phone started vibrating. He snapped his eyes open and looked down to the passenger seat where it was.   
"Answer it, don't let on that I'm here," the stranger said. Zoro glanced in the rearview mirror, he couldn't see the stranger. Zoro picked up his phone and answered Sanji. "Speaker."   
He did as the man asked.   
"Yeah, I'm in the parking lot," Zoro said.   
"Okay, did you just get here or something? Get lost?" _Of course,_ _I_ _didn't_ , Zoro thought.   
"Yeah, something like that." Sanji was quiet for a moment.   
"Zoro?" He questioned. Another pause. "Which exit are you near?" What was he getting at?   
"The main one I think," Zoro said.   
"Okay," Sanji said. "What color did Nami rent this time?"   
"This hideous blue that only a girl would drive," Zoro said.   
"Tch," Sanji snickered. "Shit, I lost Luffy." _Luffy stayed home._ "You gunna come in and help me look for that idiot?"   
"No, my leg has been acting up all day," Zoro said.   
"Dumbass, you've been walking on it again, haven't you?"   
"The crutches hurt and get in the way," Zoro grumbled. He glanced in the rearview mirror still couldn't see the guy threatening him. Zoro's eyes went back to what was in front of him, he could see the exit at the other end of the building. He was sure that was Sanji walking near the building. It was hard to tell though.   
"I guess I'll call you when I find him then," Sanji sighed.   
"Alright."   
"Love you," Sanji said before he hung up. _Shit._ Zoro dropped his phone into his lap.   
"What do you want?" Zoro asked the stranger, checking the rearview mirror again. The blond in a suit was closer, but Zoro still couldn't tell for certain it was Sanji.   
"Guess that was your mark, huh? " Shit. " Like I said, I don't get paid extra for him, pull out and drive, drive out of town." The stranger instructed. Zoro shifted gears and pulled out of his parking space.   
"Preferred direction?" Zoro asked.   
"Nope." Zoro took the unnecessary time to drive by who he thought was Sanji. He rolled down the window as he did.   
It was Sanji.   
Sanji noticed Zoro driving by. He had known something wasn't right. Zoro didn't so much as glance at him.   
Sanji dug his phone out of his pocket and called Nami.   
"Don't tell me Zoro isn't there yet," Nami greeted. "I knew I should have sent Usopp or Robin with him.   
"Zoro was here, but something's wrong," Sanji said. "He didn't come in to get me and he just left me here. I called him and he was acting weird, he admitted to being lost and didn't say anything when I said Luffy was with me."   
"Shit," Nami muttered. "You don't think Blackbeard has people looking for Luffy?"   
I bit my lip at the thought of it.   
"I'm worried he might. You should have seen what they did to Law... whoever is trying to get back at Law for the whole Doflamingo thing is not someone I want to mess with..." Sanji said.   
"How bad?" Nami asked.   
"I didn't see much, but it looked like they peeled parts of Law's arm," Sanji explained. "You really think it's Blackbeard and the guys that worked for Doflamingo?"  
"Who else would it be?" Nami asked.   
"The government..." Sanji muttered.   
"Sanji, he's free of them, remember?" Nami said.  
"I don't trust their word for it."  
"Sanji..."   
"Nami," Sanji said. "Can you report the car as stolen?"   
"Uh, yeah," Nami said. "That could end up with Zoro getting arre- wait, I've got a perfect idea. You think you can make it over here on your own?"   
"Of course I can, who do you think I am? Zoro?" Sanji asked.   
"Be nice." Nami hung up. Sanji made his way to the address Nami had given him. Did she always have to get the hotels furthers from the airport? Damn.   
Anything could be going on with Zoro right now. From the government going back on their word to the guys that had attacked them, or maybe, even the Revolutionaries. Hadn't Sabo said Zoro was being investigated by them after Zoro's mission in Cocoyashi?   
Sanji didn't know the full story. But he knew the name, Blackbeard. He knew the guy had something to do with the death of one of Luffy's marks. One of the first two, he wasn't sure which. He knew it wasn't Shirahoshi or Kid.   
He knew Zoro knew more about it than him. Zoro knew a lot more about Luffy than he let on. Sometimes Luffy felt like a stranger to Sanji. But the past didn't matter a whole lot, especially not to Luffy.   
Why the hell would they want Zoro?   
Sanji spent the entire walk trying to make the connections. If it was the Revolutionaries, Sabo would have warned them. Sabo would have done something, intervened in some way.   
If it was the government, well, Sanji had no clue what could possibly incline Zoro to go back. They might threaten Sanji and the others again. They had done it before, they could do it now.   
But they were bigger now, had more of a name. It'd be harder, with the Pirate's Company and the media there was now the government could make the Strawhat disappear like, they did before.   
If it was Blackbeard...  
Sanji had heard Sabo mention the man on occasion. Sabo was scared of him. Sabo had no reason to fear anyone.   
Blackbeard was the reason for all of Sabo's scars. Blackbeard was the reason Luffy was reluctant to use Social Media when Nami and Usopp first brought it up. Whatever he did, scared both Luffy and Sabo and that was mortifying.   
"Hey guys," Sanji said as he came in, leaving his stuff by the door.   
They were somber. Eerily quiet. A suite full of Strawhats was never quiet. Not even when they were all asleep. Everyone was in the living room of their suite. Sitting on a couch, chair, or on the floor. They were all gathered in a "family meeting" setting.   
"Woah, who died?" Sanji asked, jokingly.   
"The police found the car really quickly," Jimbei was the first to speak.   
"If was covered in bullet holes, from the inside," Robin added. "There was a lot of blood, too much for two people."   
"They think Zoro's dead," Nami said.   
"He wasn't- guys, really? He's not." Sanji said he pulled his sleeve up.   
"Mark, remember? It's still black, if it had scarred I would have called."   
"He's still missing," Usopp cut in.   
"And he's got to be hurt," Franky added.   
"It's only been about an hour since I last saw him, it's Zoro for fuck's sake, the guy who dragged Luffy out of a fucking prison 10 miles off the coastline. The guy that got us out of the rut the government shoved us into after Kid died. We should be out there looking for him."   
Sanji was right, they all knew it.   
"Let's go find my dumbass fiance before he passes out in a ditch or something," Sanji insisted.   
"Where do we start?" Usopp asked.   
"Where the fuck did the police find the car?" Sanji asked.   
"Outside of town, about 5 miles from the airport."   
"Let's go, call a taxi, an uber, probably three," Sanji said.

"Stop," the stranger ordered. Zoro did as he was told, pulling to the side of the road. As he turned the wheel his arm stung and argued with him. The fresh wound grazed down his arm. Blood dripped onto the seats of the rental.   
"Where's Strawhat?" The mam asked.   
"Far enough away to be safe from you," Zoro snapped.   
Zoro felt the barrel of a gun against his skull.   
He could see the guy in the mirror now. It was Burgess, the guy that had helped him get back to Sanji and the others the night of their final show.   
"How the hell did you follow us?"   
"Social Media is a wonderful thing," Burgess said. Of course. They had already been here close to a week.   
"Any last words?" The gun cocked.   
"Not for you." Zoro glanced at the scar on his wrist next to Sanji's mark. He closed his eyes.   
Not yet.


	83. Zoro

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm heading out tomorrow morning on a road trip with my friends, no adult supervision👀👀for three days so you get this weeks chapter a day early! Enjoy, see you all next week ❤🥰

**_PART TWO_ **

**_《Zoro》_ **

This might get my ass killed but at least it was a better shot than I had. Blackbeard's men were ruthless. That much I had figured out from Saboady...  
I grabbed on to the recliner handle of the seat.   
"That's cocky of you," Burgess said. _Now_.   
I pulled on the lever and pushed the seat back. Pulled the gun from his hand and fired. Didn't even try aiming. Whatever I hit would buy me time to get out.   
"Son of a bitch!" Burgess cursed. I unbuckled and jumped out of the car, taking the gun with me. Pain shot up my leg. I must have already popped some of the stitches, Nami did her best on fixing it but she wasn't a professional.   
Trees lined one side of the road. It wasn't exactly a forest, but it was cover. My only other option was the open farmland on the other side of the road. The choice wasn't hard. There wasn't anything else out here. I limped for the trees. Another gunshot grazed me, my shoulder this time.   
"Fuck," I hissed, moving faster I made it to the trees and made sure to get one behind me. I couldn't hear Burgess following but I knew better than too look back and was wise enough to keep a tree between us as much as possible.   
I didn't stop moving until I couldn't see the road and I was sure Burgess didn't follow.   
I leaned against a tree and looked down at my leg. Spots of blood seeped through my jeans. Great I popped more stitches and I'm sure they wouldn't be the last. Blood trickled down both my arms.   
"Fuck," I muttered yet again. Couldn't go back to the road. Shouldn't stay here, who knows if Burgess could track me or not. I didn't have a clue where I was. If I walk towards the airport, the way we came I'd find the city eventually.   
Which way was it? I was all turned around in the woods. Every tree looked the same. Which way had the road been?   
Behind me, right... so if I went parallel to the road...which would be to the left?   
Yes.   
That's the way I'll go.   
I sucked up the pain and started moving again, walking the direction I came. Walking was hardly the right word. Hobbling was more true to the pace I was going.   
This was going to take a while.   
If I can track through the forest in dress shoes in winter, I sure as hell can do it with a limp and a few scratches in summer.  
I slumped against a tree stump it was too tall for me to sit on. Unless I wanted to climb on top of it.   
I didn't.   
So I leaned against it, examining my leg again. More blood had soaked into my pants, a line along with the parts of my skin that were stitched together and then some. The blood from the graze on my forearm stained my entire right side in blood. It was all over my shirt and pants, my arm was slick with it. And I was starting to get hungry. My shoulder wound dripped blood down my arm, soaked my sleeve. That was just great. I didn't feel dizzy or dehydrated so that was good.   
I might be merging onto the path of bleeding out, but as long as I wasn't seeing black spots I was fine.   
I pushed myself up and kept moving. Burgess had me drive for a solid thirty minutes so I'd be walking at least four times that amount of time before I even made it to the airport. That was if I moved fast. Twigs and leaves and rocks crunched under my feet.   
I noticed movement in the corner of my eye. I tensed, I wouldn't do very well in a fight now. I focused on the tree I saw movement behind.   
Something moved in my peripheral vision. I followed it, it was gone. I felt a presence behind me, I followed my gut and turned around, swinging my arm out to hit someone if they managed to get close to me.   
There was nothing there. It must be in my head then. Yeah, just imagining things. I've gotta focus on something else.   
Kuina.  
Wait, why was she my first thought? I looked down at the scar on my wrist. That was a long time ago. I shook my head and trudged onward. Gotta make it back to the airport. I'll have service there for sure. 

How long had it been now?   
Right. I had my phone.   
Shit, I had my phone.   
I can call my fucking friends.   
I'm so stupid.   
I dug into my pocket and pulled it out. I had been walking for nearly an hour. And I had no service. Great.   
Figures, they probably tried to call me. I wouldn't be surprised if I lost service just past the airport. There was nothing out here, why would there need to be cell reception?  
Now I was really hungry. And feeling queasy at the same time. It was confusing. I wanted a cheeseburger and a nap and that was about it. Maybe Sanji next to me while I slept. That was debatable.   
There was the movement again. I didn't _hear_ anything. It had to be my mind playing tricks on me. Damnit! How much further until the airport?   
I stumbled on, I'm sure I was starting to hear voices if I was they were extremely faint. Well, better be safe and keep moving. I came to a tree stump, really similar to the one I had seen, an hour ago? Two?   
I decided to take a rest on it. Hey, it even had some dried blood- Oh.   
I went in a circle.   
How the fuck?  
Okay, which direction had I gone? Right, to the left. I gathered myself and stumbled on. My stomach growled.   
Screw the cheeseburger, I want an entire pizza to myself. And a beer. My leg throbbed with each step. I clamored and stumbled and hobbled my way through, being sure not to make any turns, going straight.   
Straight.   
Straight.   
Straight.   
I knew I was successful when I started to see trees that were not recognizable. All the trees looked the same, but once you see the same tree twice, you just know.   
I rested against a tree, then another, and another.   
Possibly another hour of resting on trees and hobbling through a really big cluster of trees.   
"Zoro!" The voice was familiar. Not Sanji's I'd know if it were my mark calling me.   
"Zoro!" Usopp?  
"Dumbass, Zoro might not be the only one out here." Ah, that was my Sanji. I turned toward the voices and searched the trees for them.   
"Zoro!" Usopp called with a hushed tone. I still couldn't see them. I took a step to follow their voices. My leg buckled underneath me.   
"Shit!" I cursed loudly.   
"Marimo!" Sanji yelled. Sanji came from a line of trees, followed by Usopp.   
The next thing I knew Sanji was on his knees in front of me.   
"Zoro?" He said, cupping my face and kissing my forehead. My stomach growled again.   
"Can you walk? Let's get you home," Sanji said. He helped me to my feet, I leaned on him, taking as much weight as I could off my leg. Sanji put his hand to my chest to help me keep balance.   
"Usopp, let everyone know we found him."  
"There's no service."  
"That explains a lot." Sanji and Usopp lead me back to the road. I could see the airport in the distance.   
At least I had been close.   
"Now?" Sanji asked, looking past me to Usopp. Usopp checked his phone.   
"I'll try, but it's only one bar," He said, bringing his phone up to his ear.   
"How do you feel?" Sanji asked, slicking back my hair and helping me sit down on the side of the road.   
"Hungry," I muttered.  
"I'll make anything you want when we get back," Sanji promised. I leaned on Sanji's shoulder, I could fall asleep right then and there.   
"I want an entire Sea King."   
"That might take a while to cook."   
"Order take out then." I wrapped my arm around him.  
"You're going to get blood on my clothes," Sanji sighed. I rested my head on his shoulder.   
"Too late," I muttered. Usopp sat down on the other side of me.  
"Nami's on her way. Said she'd drop Brook and Franky off at the airport so they could get a cab to the hotel," Usopp said.  
"That's good, how far is the hospital?" Sanji asked.  
"I don't want to go to the hospital, I was just there," I huffed.  
"Zoro, have you seen yourself?"  
"They're just scratches."  
"Scratches don't leave you covered in your own blood," Usopp retorted.  
"Hospital food is gross."  
"We'll get fast food on the way." Sanji offered.  
"Pizza," I agreed.  
"Pizza it is," Sanji pressed another kiss to my forehead. The three of us sat on the side of the road and waited. No cars drove by, not even a tractor. I dozed off, leaning on Sanji. He ran his fingers through my hair.

"Zoro," Sanji said, nudging me awake.  
"Hm?"  
"Nami's here, c'mon," Sanji said. I sat up, my arms felt heavier, and my shoulders, my entire body did, really. Sanji helped me to my feet, then to the car.   
"Can you go two minutes without getting hurt?" Nami asked.   
"Maybe in another life," Usopp said he got into the front seat, Sanji and I in the back. We buckled and Namu pulled back into the road.   
"You're going to get blood all over another rental?" Nami huffed. "This is so coming out of your check."   
"Whatever."   
" Go to the nearest Little Ceasars," Sanji said.   
"How about a hospital?" Nami suggested.   
"Food first," I said.   
"If you die on the way, I'm not paying for your funeral," Nami said.  
"Noted." 

Nami did get me pizza before taking me to the hospital. I ate almost half of it before got there. Then it was the usual, stitches, X-ray, talking to the police. Because, yes, they were bullet wounds, and yes, I did disappear in a rental car Nami reported stolen.   
I was able to go back to the hotel by the end of the day. All I did was sleep. 


	84. Where

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter should be called Fuck, The Thrilling Sequel but I'm dedicated to sticking to one-word chapter titles UNtIL thE EnD
> 
> Next week I have my orientation for uni so I'll be posting Tuesday!!

**_♡_ ** _**Law** _ **_♡_ **

I woke up the sound of Luffy's voice. He was on the phone with someone. His arm wrapped around me. He was warm and I simply wanted to lay next to him and nothing more. A shame that I needed to work today.   
"Is he okay?" Luffy asked. That was worrisome.   
"What about that Burgess guy?"   
"Oh."   
"Leave, leave the town, He'll call the rest of them." Luffy's voice was tensed, he clutched the blanket we were covered with, in his hand. I looked up at Luffy, he was staring out the window, the sun was coming up.   
"Love, everything okay?" I asked. That was a stupid question, clearly, things were not okay. He paid me no mind.   
"I don't care, as soon as Zoro's out of the hospital get out of there, go somewhere we haven't gone yet. I'll meet you guys there as soon as I can."  
"See you, stay safe." Luffy hung up his phone.  
"What's wrong?" I asked, pressing my forehead to his chest.   
"Blackbeard's guy attacked Zoro again," Luffy said. I could hear the worry in his voice. "He's okay but Burgess got away."   
"Do you need to go back?" I asked. I couldn't let this go on. I had to do _something._ Even if that meant asking Stussy to get involved. She'll know exactly how we could get rid of him I should call her-  
"Soon, but not until you're okay." I forgot I had even spoken to Luffy.   
"Luffy-ya, if you need to go-"  
"It's fine Torao, really, you slept all night last that's good, right?"   
"Yeah," I agreed. My phone started ringing.  
"Ugh," I sighed. I reached over Luffy and grabbed my phone.   
Stussy was calling. Speak of the devil, as the saying goes.  
"Hello?" I let my cheek rest on Luffy's chest again, nuzzling into his shirt. Luffy ran his fingers through my hair.   
"Oh, I didn't mean to wake you," Stussy said.  
"I was already awake," I assured.   
"Well, either way," Stussy said, "I've got another proposition for you."  
"Is it anything like the last one?"   
"Yes."   
"I'm listening." I rolled off Luffy and sat up and rolled my shoulders, popping my back.   
"There's a hit out on Dellinger because I'm already undercover, they've assigned him to me," Stussy began. "You know him, and the rest of the 'family' better than anyone, would you be willing to help?" I glanced at Luffy.   
He could be dead if Blackbeard had taken the time to aim his gun a little better. If something went wrong when he came to get me, he'd be dead. My wound's felt fresh and new. I had to.  
Fai could be hurt too. Dellinger hasn't gotten what he wanted and. Seeing as Zoro is in the hospital again, Dellinger wasn't going to stop until I was dead and apparently Zoro too.  
"Okay. I'll help," I agreed.   
"Really?" Stussy sounded a little surprised. "Good, I'm in Flevance now, if you've got some time we can discuss a plan if not, I'll be back next week."  
"I've got to work, but we can talk there." I stood and went to my dresser, digging out clothes for work. It's a good thing I showered last night. I'll just skip breakfast today. It wouldn't the first time.  
"The hospital, right? Is it safe there?" I assumed she was talking in terms of being overheard.   
"Yeah, probably safer than any other place." I started changing already.  
"Okay, what time suits you best? I have to be in Cocoyashi this afternoon."  
"I can be there in about twenty minutes."   
"See you soon, Law."   
"You too." I hung up and finished getting dressed.   
"What's up?" Luffy asked.  
"Stussy-ya wants my help with something," I said. I wanted to keep the details from him. There was no reason, especially not after all the shit we've been through.   
"Like what?"   
"She was assigned to Dillinger," I said, leaving the room.   
Luffy followed me into the bathroom as I started brushing my teeth. Should I make coffee? That would be wise, however, I could also get some on the way there. Or after.  
"Torao," Luffy sounded annoyed. I'd expect he wanted Dellinger to leave us alone as much as I did. "She wants you to help kill him?" I spit out the toothpaste.  
"Yeah," I said. "After what he did to you, I have no problem with it."   
"You were arrested the last time!" Luffy snapped.   
"That was different and you know it." I started brushing again.   
"So? Isn't Dellinger still in school? Someone will care that he's gone." I spit again. "That Smoky guy will come here again."  
"Luffy, he tried to have you killed. He had Fai kidnapped. I don't give a shit how old he is or who cares about him, or about those detectives." I rinsed my brush and pulled out my razor, shaving cream, and a towel. "He obviously hasn't given up trying to hurt you either." I glanced at Luffy he was frowning and stood in the doorway with his arms crossed over his chest. "The call you just had is proof of that."   
"No one deserves to die Torao," Luffy said.   
"Love, I couldn't care less about that, I don't want him to mess with us anymore." I spread the shaving cream over my face all but the beard on my chin. "If he wouldn't have come after you, I wouldn't have cared what he was doing." I started to drag the razor over my skin.   
"I don't want you to do it," Luffy said.   
"Luffy-ya," I rinse the razor off and watched Luffy in the mirror. "I have to do this."  
"Last time you almost died, he's not worth your life!" I shaved as quickly as I could while Luffy spoke.   
"Last time, I waited too long. Last time I let you get kidnapped, last time I let you get locked up in a fucking cage, last time, I let you get hurt," I said, trying to keep from raising my voice. "I'm not letting it get that far again. Fuck, I've already let it get too far."  
"There's other ways," Luffy insisted.   
"After what Dellinger did to Zoro-ya and me I'd think you'd want him gone too. Seems you don't care as much as I do."   
"You're an asshole!" Luffy snapped He stormed off into the living room before shouting again. "How could you think I don't care?"   
"That's _not_ what I said..." I snapped back.  
"You might as well have, you dick!" Luffy's voice hitched, shaky almost. I finished up shaving and wiped my face with a clean towel. I went out into the living room too.  
"Dellinger's not worth your life, not worth the time it'll take, the money, or the effort," Luffy stated. "How's that for not caring?" I ignored his last comment.   
"Luffy-"  
"I'd know better than anyone that people don't deserve to fucking _die_ _._ It's not up to you or some stupid government to decide who gets to live or die!" Luffy was shouting again.  
"Yeah, you're right, and frankly, I don't give a shit. Dellinger is trying to hurt the most important person in my life and I'm _going_ to stop him." I paused. "At any cost." I went into the kitchen and started the coffee pot before going back out to the living room. I pulled my shoes on and grabbed my wallet and keys off the coffee table.   
"Torao, don't do it." Luffy's patience had run out. That was a demand at this point.   
"Luffy-ya, I'm not asking permission."   
"I don't care, you're going to get hurt again," Luffy's voice cracked. "What happened to not doing shit that got us into the hospital?"   
"This is different," I muttered.   
"No, it's not!" Luffy shouted.   
"Luffy-ya, stop."   
"Fine, if I can't change your mind I'm doing it with you," Luffy decided. What kind of logic was _that?_  
"No," I said. I wouldn't put him in harm's way. No way in hell.  
"I'm not asking permission, Torao," Luffy retorted. Really? This is the kind of argument going on?  
"I'm not going to make it easy for Dellinger to get to you." I went for the door and Luffy put himself between me and it.   
"I'm not going to stand by and watch as you get yourself killed," Luffy fumed, glaring at me. "I've had enough of watching my marks leave scars. I'm going with you."   
"No, you're not," I growled. I won't die from this. _I won't_  
I reached behind him for the doorknob, Luffy leaned against the door.  
"Luffy-ya cut the crap and get out of the way," I growled through clenched teeth. Luffy met my eyes with a stubborn gaze that only Luffy could muster. "You're going to make me late."   
" I don't care, remember?" Luffy grumbled. How mature of him.   
"Move," I repeated. He didn't.   
"Only if I go with you," he insisted. I pinched the bridge of my nose.   
" _No_ _."_ Luffy didn't budge. I grabbed the doorknob at his side and pulled it. Luffy pushed more of his weight into the door when I tried to open it.   
"God damn it, Luffy!" I barked and hit the door out of childish frustration. "Get out of the fucking way!" Luffy jumped at the noise.   
"Law," Luffy said with a kind of calmness I had never seen in him. My blood ran cold and I couldn't stop my mouth from hanging open. _Law?_ Luffy had never uttered "Law" in our entire relationship. He looked up at me, eyes burrowing straight through me, he was angry but determined. "I'm doing this with you."  
I clenched my teeth shut.   
"Fine." I caved, looking away from him. "But I can't give you a ride back."   
"I know," Luffy said.   
"Change out of your pajamas then, and make it quick."   
Luffy pressed his hand to my chest, gently pushing me back. I hadn't realized how close we were until then. Luffy went to our bedroom and I was half tempted to leave right now.   
I should.  
But knowing Luffy he'd walk to the hospital and be even more pissed at me than he already was. I went to the car and waited for Luffy.  
He didn't say a word to me the entire drive to the hospital. We just sat in incredibly tense silence.   
When we arrived, Luffy and I went up to my office. Bepo wasn't there, at least I didn't have to kick him out.  
Less than five minutes later, there was a gentle knock on the door. I got up to answer it, Stussy of course. And the waiter from the bar that gave Luffy and red mark. What?  
The guy looked just as surprised to see me as I felt seeing him.   
"Good morning Law, how have you been?"   
"I've had better days, that's for sure," I sighed and stepped out of the way to let them in. "You?"  
"I could say the same," Stussy sighed.   
"Please, have a seat." Luffy moved out one of the two guest chairs in my office to let Stussy and her partner? sit. I closed and locked the door behind them. No need to have Sachi, Penguin, Bepo, or Jean Bart barge in. Or anyone else.   
"Oh, you haven't met Trace, have you?" Stussy asked as she took a seat where Luffy had been.   
"Not properly," I confirmed.   
"You have met before then?" Stussy asked, glancing at the former waiter, whose name I couldn't recall.   
"A run-in really, from when I was a waiter," He said.  
"Oh, well, this is Trace, I'm training him to become an assassin," Stussy explained. "Trace, this is Law."   
"Hey man, I've heard a lot about you," Trace said, holding out his hand.   
"Really?" I asked, shaking his hand and glancing at Stussy.   
"It's only natural, he needed to be filled in on everything from last year, and he studied your court case before being out on the field."  
"Oh," I muttered. Exactly how much did he know about me?   
"Back to Dellinger, yes?"   
I nodded and leaned against my desk. "What's the time frame look like?"   
"Kaido is calling a meeting in Syrup Village in the fall, the exact date hasn't been set but it looking like early October or late September," Stussy said.   
"What for?" I asked.   
"Kaido has a new weapon he wants to market. He's introducing it to the bigger sellers out of courtesy before revealing it at the auction in winter."   
"Syrup Village you said?" Luffy asked, perking up from his previously slouched posture.  
"That would be it," Trace confirmed.   
"That's Usopp's and Sanji's home town, Zoro and Sanji are having their wedding there in the fall," Luffy said. I didn't know they had picked a date yet. "It's going to be September 22nd."   
"That's worrying," I said.  
"Why?" Luffy asked.   
"You guys having a big event so close to Dellinger when he's out to get you," I explained. Stussy nodded in agreement.   
"Well, they already planned for security because of fans." Luffy shrugged.   
"It may work in our favor in that case," Stussy said. "If Dellinger is distracted with Luffy and Zoro, we can bait them."  
"I don't like that," I muttered.  
"How?" Luffy asked. I cut a glance at him, he made a point of not looking at me. At least he seemed to.   
"Well, it may be useful to have someone on the inside, if that's possible," Stussy said, glancing at me. "But, if he's hyper-fixated on hurting you, he won't notice things like some peddling information on the inside, or things going wrong."  
"A distracted target is an easy target," Trace said, leaning back in his chair and resting his ankle on his knee. That I had to agree with. Look at how easy it was with Doflamingo because of the auction.   
"If Zoro and Sanji are okay with it, I'll do it," Luffy said. I clenched my teeth and folded my arms over my chest. I won't argue with him in front of Stussy and Trace, it's not like arguing with him would do much anyway, that's exactly how he got here. I should have left him home.   
"If that doesn't work, how else would we do it?" I asked.   
"At the meeting, the Revolutionaries will be there, it will be easy to pass the blame off on them," Stussy said.   
"Do you know where it will be?" I asked.   
"One of Kaido's places," Trace cut in.  
"That's not happening."   
"Why?" Stussy asked with a small frown.  
"Kaido is nuts with security, he's got a huge network, we won't be able to make a single move without Kaido knowing about it," I said. "With the Smiles, Dellinger is making he won't let us get anywhere near him, especially not after the auction and my trial."   
"He won't let _you_ anywhere near Dellinger," Trace corrected.   
"Trace." Stussy said, lifting her chin up and cutting a warning glance at him "Law was raised under this business, he knows what he's talking about when he says we can't do something." Trace looked away from her and down at the floor.   
"We'll certainly need someone on the inside, in that case," Stussy said. I sighed, hating the idea that came to mind. "  
"We might be able to get Fai in there," I said.   
"Fai?" Stussy asked.  
"My cousin, Doflamingo's daughter," I said. Stussy raised her eyebrows and made a small 'o' with her lips.  
"She _might_ be able to get back into the circle, but if she doesn't want to, I won't force her," I said. Stussy nodded in understanding.   
"Very well," Stussy said. "I'd like to be there when you bring this up to Fai, Zoro, and Sanji too, will that be possible?"   
"When you're in Flevance next week, I can arrange something," I agreed.   
"Yeah, whenever we're close by we can meet up," Luffy said.   
"Good, do you know where you'll be the rest of the summer?"   
"Not a clue," Luffy said. "I think Franky wanted to go back to Water 7 in two weeks, so we'll probably go there next."   
"That's perfect, we're heading back to Enies Lobby soon for a full report, and we'll have to stop in Water 7, I'll give you a call then," Stussy said.   
"Alright," Luffy grinned.   
"The next train leaves soon," Stussy said, checking her phone.   
"Yeah, we should get going," Trace said. I got the door for them.   
"Keep in touch," Stussy said as she went. I closed the door again.  
Luffy was going to bait Dellinger.  
"Do you have a death wish or something?" I grumbled, striding back to my desk.   
"What are you so pissed about now?" Luffy scoffed he crossed his arms and leaned against the wall.   
"You're going to bait Dellinger?" I asked.  
"That wasn't even decided yet," Luffy stated, he refused to look at me.  
"Why would you even put that on the table?" I snapped, straining my voice trying to keep it low.  
"Well, according to you I don't care, so there's that's, besides, you suggested Fai, and she's not even here." he was still upset over that...  
I did cross a line saying that, he had every right to be pissed at me.  
" Go home, Love," I muttered.   
"Whatever," Luffy huffed, marching to the door. He left the door open. I noticed a notification on my phone.   
A text from Fai.   
_I hate both of you_  
 _Did we wake you up?_ I replied.  
 _Yes_  
 _Sorry_  
 _And for the record, you ARE an asshole_  
I sighed and left my phone in the drawer of my desk. As much as I had to do, it wasn't enough to keep my mind off my argument with Luffy. Rethinking every word I said and making myself feel guilty over every syllable. Luffy had every right to be worried about me doing something like this. Hell, if our positions had been switched I would have been just as pushy as Luffy had been.   
Still, I didn't want him anywhere near the black market business or Dellinger. Why did he have to be so god damned pushy? 

I got home late. Fai was in the living room, watching TV and trying to catch popcorn in her mouth.   
"Hey loser," Fai said, just as a piece of popcorn bounced off her nose.   
"I don't even have the energy to find a comeback," I muttered.   
"On that note," Fai said, trying to catch yet another piece of popcorn. I dropped my stuff onto the coffee table. "I think I'm going to move out soon."   
"I bother you that much?" I asked with a fake scoff.   
"Yep, you're repulsive." Fai agreed with a grin. "No, a girl that I work with found a place to live, she just can't afford it on her own. She's trying to get away from her controlling parents." I sat down in the reclining chair that wasn't covered in popcorn. "They're not abusive or anything, just suffocating for a 19-year-old."  
"Oh," I said, kicking off my shoes and leaving them where they landed.   
"I think you've reached peak laziness, Law," Fai said.   
"Today felt like a year," I muttered.   
"That's fair." Fai threw another piece of popcorn.   
"Luffy asleep?"  
"Luffy hasn't come home," Fai said.   
"What?" I asked. "Where is he?"  
"Last I heard he went to hang out with Penguin, that was around two, I think." I dug my phone out of my pocket It was nearly 1 am and he didn't even check-in. I know he's mad at me, but still, not even with Fai?  
My phone rang and rang for an eternity before it went to voicemail. Shit. I called Penguin, no answer either.   
"Fuck." I called Luffy again. Still no answer. One more time.  
Nothing. What if Dellinger found him again? I checked my wrist, not scar, at least he's not dead.   
There are worse things than death though. I called Penguin again. No answer. What the fuck?  
"He's not answering, neither is Peng," I said to Fai. My leg started to bounce against my will. I called Sachi.   
"What's up, boss?"  
"Where's Peng-ya?" I asked.   
"Home maybe? I don't know man, I'm still at work." He paused. " Everything all right?"   
"Luffy went out with him and I haven't heard from him all day." I rubbed my forehead. "Neither of them will answer their phones either."   
"Now you've got me worried. I'm getting off right now, I'll give them both a call and let you know what's going on."  
"Thanks," I sighed.   
"No problem." Sachi hung up. I stared at my phone until Sachi called back, the time was only ten minutes later, but it felt like a hell of a lot longer than that.   
"Hey," I answered.   
"Okay, so neither of them answered me, but in their defense, Peng is kinda pissed at me right now." Sachi paused. "He was decent enough to leave a note saying he went to the beach with Luffy though."   
"Shit, shit," I cursed. "Luffy-ya's scared of water."   
"I'm headed there now, I just hope they didn't get drunk," Sachi said.   
"Law?" Fai asked.   
"I'll meet you over there," I said.   
"What's going on?"  
"Luffy went to the beach with Penguin and apparently, Sachi and Penguin are arguing too."  
"Oh great," Fai said. "You want me to come with you?"   
"No, stay here in case he comes home, If Penguin-ya is with him, find a way to keep him here and call me." I pulled my shoes back on and grabbed my wallet and keys. I got into the car calling Bepo. I put it on speaker and dropped it into my lap.  
"Hello?" Bepo sounded like he just woke up, whoops.  
"Do you know where Luffy-ya and Penguin-ya are?" I asked.   
"No, I haven't talked to either of them," Bepo mumbled.   
"Shit," I cursed. "Okay," I started speeding, "I'm going to call Jean-ya." I came to a stop at a stop sign and hung up and called Jean Bart, leaving my phone on speaker in my lap. I continued. Jean answered the phone just as sleepy sounding at Bepo had. I asked the same question and he had the same response, he didn't know.   
Fuck!


	85. Worry

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey my dudes if you don't already know, im reformating this fic bc it's starting to drive me crazy. I'm also makin some fixes to the first 30 ish chapters bc I dont real like the way I wrote them so pls be aware of changes and bear with me while i make them it will take a while

**_♡Law♡_ **

I slammed on the breaks as soon as I got to the beach, hitching forward as I did so. I did a shit job parking but the only other car that was there was Sachi's and no one would be showing up for a while. 

"PENG!" I heard Sachi shout down on the beach, I could see the flashlight, probably from his phone, on the beach, "LUFFY!" I turned the flashlight on my phone on a stumbled down to the beach. 

"Sachi-ya!" I yelled to get his attention. 

"I can't find them," He called back just as I met him. He ran his hand through his hair, 

"We just got here, they might be down the beach," I said. 

"Yeah, Yeah," He agreed. 

"Let's go find them." We walked down the beach, yelling our marks' names for nearly an hour. The only thing that ran through my head was Dellinger hurting Luffy the way he had done to me. And the idea that Penguin might have been dragged into the mess with Luffy made it even worse. And Sachi had no, I debated telling him. There was no point in stressing him out even more. If this progressed I would tell him. We searched until we got to the end of the beach that gave way to the rocks that piled into the hillside.

"Shit," I muttered. 

"They might have gone the other way, towards the beachfront, hell they might even be there," Sachi said. I nodded. We headed back, all the way back, moving much faster now that we weren't actively looking for Penguin and Luffy. We walked all the way to the beachfront. Most of the stuff that was destroyed from the tsunami had been rebuilt, there were a few small food-stands that I'd probably never see again. 

Sachi and I asked around the select places that were open, showing pictures of our dumbasses. 

Nothing. They weren't fucking there. We started making our way back to our cars. 

"They might be at Shakky's," Shachi said.

"Shakky's closed an hour ago," I reminded him." 

"Is it really already three?" Sachi asked. 

"Yep," I sighed. 

"Maybe they went home?" 

"Fai-ya's up at my house, she stayed in case they went there," I said. 

"So they might be at my place," Sachi said. 

"Maybe," I agreed. 

"Oh, did we every check with Bepo or Jean?" Sachi asked.

"I called them on the way to the beach." 

"Damn it," Sachi huffed. "That's it, I'm killing both of them as soon as I can get my hands on 'em." 

"I don't understand why the hell they'd run off without even texting, I mean sure, Peng is pissed at me, but at least he could let _someone_ know where he is, that he's okay. And why would Luffy?" 

"Luffy's not too happy with me right now either," I said. 

"I can't imagine it being easy to piss him off, what'd you do?" I'll have to tell him and the other's eventually, won't I?

"That assassin I helped take out Doflamingo," I said. "She wants me to help her with Dellinger." 

"Shit," Sachi muttered. 

"I haven't told you guys yet, but the last time it ended badly, have you seen Luffy's mark?" 

"It's scarred around the edges," Sachi stated. "You're heart stopped." I nodded to that. 

"Yeah, Zoro-ya got into a fight with Dellinger and misfired when he pulled the trigger. It hit me instead." 

"Fuck, Law," Sachi muttered. 

"And Dellinger-ya has it out for me, he wants to hurt me in more ways than physical, in Saboady he tried to have Luffy-ya and Zoro-ya killed. He kidnapped Fai to get me back in Dressrosa and yesterday Zoro-ya was back in the hospital," I explained. 

"He won't leave us alone, the only way he'll stop is if he's dead. Luffy doesn't want me to do it." 

"He's mad at you over that?" 

"Not just that, he decided if he couldn't change my mind, he was going to get involved too.

That's the last thing I want. He got so pissed at me this morning he called me 'Law.'" Sachi and I started walking again. We were only a block away from our cars now. 

"That's rough, man." Sachi sighed. I nodded.

"I deserved it though, I was a complete jackass to him," I shook my head and sighed. "Your turn now, what's going on with you and Peng-ya?" I asked. 

"I hate hiding our relationship from you guys, you know that, right?" Sachi began. "I've always hated it. But Penguin doesn't want anyone to know. He's told me why a million times over, but I can't understand it. I've told him I want to tell you guys, and we've argued over it more than a handful of times. Last night was so bad I slept on the couch." 

"Ouch," I muttered. Sachi's phone started to ring. He checked the caller ID before answering.

"Hey, Bepo, have you heard from them?" Sachi asked. 

"Yeah, why?" Hearing only one side of a conversation wasn't the most promising thing. 

"No..." Sachi seemed skeptical. He cut a glance towards me. I wanted to ask him about Luffy, about Penguin. That's why Bepo must have called, he had to know something. 

"W-what?" Sachi stuttered, his voice trembling. If something was really wrong, my mark would let me know, I reminded myself. 

"Shit.." Sachi ran a hand through his unkempt hair. "And Peng?"

"Okay." Another pause. "That's good." Another. "I can't just- no I'm not going to stop him, Are you crazy?" Sachi cut another glance towards me. He was quiet for a little while, crossing his arm over his chest and staring at the ground. We reached our cars. 

"You're fucking nuts, I'm not going to stop him, that's his damned mark you're talking about." Sachi hung up the phone without saying anything else. 

"Kureha called in Bepo and Jean, Luffy and Peng were brought into the emergency room." He began. "Peng's got a concussion and Luffy's going into the OR. Bepo said he's got a broken rib, a couple fractured and internal bleeding." I tried to keep my heart from jumping into my throat, but fuck it was getting hard to breathe. I patted my pockets down for my keys, my hands shaking. 

"But, Law, Bepo wanted me to keep you from going to the hospital and Kureha won't let you in that OR," Sachi added. 

"Fuck that," I grumbled, pulling my car keys from my pocket. It felt like tar was filling up my chest. I jumped in. 

"I'll see you over there, man," Sachi got into his own car. I was down the road before he even started the car. I gave no consideration to the speed limits or stop signs on my way to the hospital. It's not like there were police, or anyone else out right now anyway. Not on a weekday.

The entire way there I could feel anxiety trying to settle into my chest and throat. The last thing I needed was a panic or anxiety attack right now. 

I pulled into the hospital parking lot and did a piss poor job at parking (at least I stayed in the lines) and strode into the hospital. 

Kureha was at the main entrance, waiting for me. 

"Don't you ever sleep?" I asked, walking past her. 

"I'll sleep when I'm dead," Kureha muttered. "You're not going into that OR." 

"If I can operate on my cousin, I can operate on my damned mark." 

"Not in this hospital." 

"That's bullshit." Kureha grabbed my wrist, forcing me to stop, and held my hand up between us. My fingers still trembled. 

" _This_ is the bullshit that will kill Monkey D. Luffy," she corrected. "You haven't killed a patient yet, and I certainly won't let your mark be the first." I pulled my hand from her and headed towards the elevator. Kureha followed only a step behind me. My mark started to tingle like it had fallen asleep. Pins and needles pain came from it, shit, I think I understood why Luffy scratched at his marks so much. What does that even mean? 

Is Luffy okay? I started walking faster. I could feel the pressure of tears building in my throat. I pressed the elevator button a couple dozen times before opting for the stairs. Kureha didn't follow me. I ran up the stairs as quickly as I could.

Bepo was at the doors to the OR, waiting for me. 

I tried to ignore him and walk past him. Bepo had other plans. He pushed me back with his hand on my chest. 

"Sorry boss, I can't let you go in there," Bepo said. 

"Get out of my way," I demanded. Bepo gave me an apologetic look. The tingling in my mark seemed to agree with me. It demanded more of my attention, and fuck I was trying. 

I was sick to my stomach and my breaths still heaved. 

"Bepo-"

"Law, you're panicking."

"I'm fine, let me make sure Luffy-ya's okay." Bepo shook his head. 

"You have labored breathing and your shaking, Luffy's going to be fine. You can wait," Bepo said in his professional voice. My mark was still tingling and tears welled up in my eyes. 

"Bepo, he's my fucking mark I have to do something!" I snapped. My voice hitched and the tears spilled. 

"Law-" Bepo started to say but stopped himself. He pulled me into a hug. Wrapping his arms around me. No, no, fuck. I cried harder and buried my face into his shoulder. 

"I can't lose him," I choked out. 

"You won't, not today at least," Bepo assured. He pulled away and squeezed my shoulder. 

"How-"

"How's Luffy?" Sachi shouted while running toward us. Shit. I wiped the tears from my face before Sachi could see me. 

"The break isn't the worst, it'll take six weeks to heal. The most concerning it all the internal bleed. It's like someone tried to beat him to death. Did you talk to Peng about what happened?" 

"Someone-" Blackbeard and Dellinger. It could only be them. No one else has any reason to hurt him. Sachi glanced at me. "It was the guys I told you about, right?" 

"He said he wanted to talk about it with you there," Sachi said. "But, yeah I can't imagine anyone else would hurt Luffy that badly, and Peng." 

"Go on Boss, and I'll call you if anything happens," Bepo insisted. 

"Thanks," I said, following Sachi to the ER.

Penguin was checking out at the nurse's station when Sachi and I found him. Penguin had a black eye, his lip was split open, a nasty looking cut graced his eyebrow with its presence, and the left side of his face was a beautiful shade of bruise purple.

If he was beaten up this bad, how much worse was Luffy? 

"How're you doing?" I asked him. 

"Nothing's broken, so pretty damned good," Penguin said. "How's Luffy?"

"He's in the OR right now, broken ribs, internal bleeding," Sachi said quickly. 

"How bad?" 

"Bepo-ya said he'd be okay," I muttered, he'd better be right. Penguin nodded. "What happened?" Peng bit his lip before speaking. 

"These guys jumped us at the Beachfront. We were gunna go check out the new rides and these huge guys came up to us before we even led the car ...

 _"Shit, hold up Luf, I left my wallet in the car," Penguin said. He turned back to go to the car which was only a few paces behind them. It was the only 2 in the afternoon so the sun was high and the day was warmer than most. Penguin decided to park underneath the small part of the pier that a road went under before it turned to rocks and sand._ _Penguin didn't even get the chance to get the door open before an arm was around his neck and pulling him back._

_"Luffy!" Penguin yelled, not to get his attention because he thought it was Luffy who was just messing with him. There was no one else around after all._

_"Peng!" Luffy yelled back, running back towards Penguin. That's when Penguin started to panic. Whoever had a hold of Penguin shoved him into the car hard enough to make Penguin double over and smack his forehead on the car's roof. Spots danced across Penguin's vision. With the smack of Luffy sandals, the weight that was pressed against Penguin tumbled to the ground. Luffy was on top of the guy that attacked Penguin, sitting on the guys back._

_"Run!" Luffy ordered with an edge to his voice Penguin had only heard from Law when he got really pissed. "Get out of here!" Penguin stumbled back, away from Luffy and stranger, into another person. This guy was bigger than the one Luffy had pinned to the ground._

_Ah, shit._

_Luffy was tossed into the pavement and a fist hurtled towards Penguin's face. Penguin stumbled back._

_Luffy got to his feet quickly, he waited for the other guy to get up before making brisk movements that were a blur in Penguins eyes. A blow to the face here, knee in the stomach there. Before Penguin realized it, the guy he had stumbled into had a hold of him by the collar of his shirt._

_"Pizarro, who is this guy?" The stumbled into stranger asked. Penguin shoved the guy off of him. He stumbled back into the vacant road. That awarded Penguin another jab from the bigger guy, this time it got him right in the eye._

_"Fuck," Penguin cursed. A sharp yelp came from Luffy. Penguin's head snapped in Luffy's direction. That was Penguin's mistake. The Pizarro guy had a fist in Luffy's hair and had Luffy bent over. Pizarro knees Luffy again, and again, and again._

_The bigger guy took Penguins distraction to his advantage. He grabbed Penguin's shirt again. He dragged Penguin to the back of his car and opened up the unlocked trunk. Penguin put up a fight. He elbowed and kicked and shoved to no avail. This guy was like a fucking brick wall. He grabbed at the hair on the back of Penguin's head and slammed Penguins face into the car._

_Once, Twice, three times. Spots darted over Penguins vision as he was pushed into the trunk of his own car._

_Penguin couldn't make sense of what was going on until the trunk shut, locking him inside._

_Shit._

_"Luffy!" Penguin shouted. "Luffy?!" Penguin kicked and banged on the inside of the trunk._

_Hello, the back fucking seat opens. Penguin turned in the trunk until he could get his feet on the seat of his car. He kicked. And kicked._

_Penguin Kicked until the seats folded down and he could crawl into the car's cabin. Penguin got into the back seat in time to watch Pizzaro and the other guy drag Luffy across the road. Luffy was still fighting every step of the way. Penguin jumped out of the car and bolted across the road. He picked up some chunks of cement that were in a pothole and threw them. One at a time._

_That got their attention._

_"Shot, I thought you dealt with him," Pizarro sighed._

_"I'm not that easy," Penguin snapped and threw another rock._

_"Whatever, he's seen too much, bring him with us and we'll just kill him and dump him off with the boy toy."_

_"Don't fucking call me that!" Luffy hissed, struggling to break free of the hold Pizarro had on him. "Run Peng! Call Torao!"_

_Luffy got one hand free and jabbed Pizarro in the throat. Pizarro bent Luffy over and kneed him in the torso with hoarse coughs. Luffy yelped, he doubled over before falling to his knees and coughing. Shot strode to Penguin._

_Penguin couldn't move. That's all it fucking took to get Luffy on his knees?_

_Penguin came to his senses as Shot got into arm's length. Penguin swung at him. Not that it did any good._

_Shot leaned out of Penguin's hit and grabbed his shirt. He yanked Penguin forward, pushed him back. Before headbutting him and making the world go blank._

... I woke up in a hut outside of town. Luffy had broken out and found me less than five minutes later. But he was beaten up really bad and coughing up blood. We walked all the way back into town and to the hospital," Penguin finished. 

"Peng- ya, did they mention the name, Blackbeard?" Penguin frowned. 

"I don't think so..." Penguin muttered. 

"Dellinger?" Penguin shook his head. 

"Why?"

"They're the reason for all my injuries and they tried to hurt Luff-ya in Saboady too."

"Right," Penguin muttered. 

"Who else would want to hurt Luffy?" Sachi asked. 

"Not anyone I know of," I said. Sachi nodded. 

"What are you going to do?" Sachi asked. 

"I have no fucking clue... I should call Zoro-ya and Luffy-ya's brother though..." 

"Luffy has a brother?" Penguin asked. I nodded. "Older or younger?" 

"Older." 

"So that's how Luffy has survived this long," Sachi said, getting a snicker from Penguin. I didn't find that very amusing.

"What, too soon?" Sachi asked. 

"Something like that," I muttered. 

"Law," Bepo called. "Luffy's in room 228." 

"Thanks," I said, heading to the elevator. 

Luffy was asleep in a hospital bed with an IV and a heart monitor. I stood in the doorway, I couldn't make myself go inside. The harshness of my last words to him echoed in the back my head. The words alone hadn't been harsh, but the way I had spoken to him was. I pulled my phone from my pocket. It was nearly dead, but I had enough power to call Sabo and Zoro. 

I opted to call Sabo first, he'd probably hunt me down and skin me if I didn't. I didn't want to go through that again. 

"Hey, Law, what's up?" Sabo asked. 

"Quite a bit, actually," I said. 

"Well, you have my attention," Sabo said. 

"Luffy-ya is in the hospital again." Sabo was silent for a moment.

"People usually don't end with that..."

"Yeah, sorry, I think Blackbeard-ya was behind it, Luffy-ya was taken hostage with one of my friends-"

"You think? Well, Luffy would be able to tell you."

"He's unconscious."

"Law," Sabo paused. "How bad is he hurt?" 

  
"Broken ribs, internal bleeding, and he looks like they tried to beat him to death," I said quietly.

"Shit," Sabo muttered. "I'm coming over there." 

"What about Koala-ya?" 

"Luffy's hurt, I think she'll understand," Sabo said. The phone went silent. I looked back over at Luffy. His cold 'Whatever' as he left my office settled into my mind. Luffy wasn't one to hold grudges but what I said to him in the bathroom... It wasn't true and it wasn't okay. I watched Luffy's chest rise and fall with his breathing. 

What would it take for Luffy to realize he's safer without me? And what will he do once he realizes that? 

With a deep breath, I stepped into the room. 

"You're so reckless," I muttered to him. I pulled a chair closer to his borrowed bed and sat down. 

I should let Fai know I found him. So I did. I texted her before repocketing my phone. I grabbed Luffy's unmoving hand and kissed the back of it. 

"You'll be the death of me." 


	86. Heal

_**♡Luffy♡** _

My brain pounded against my skull, the throbbing made the light hurt my eyes. Where the fuck am I? I looked around and Torao was slumped in a chair next to me, asleep, holding my hand. I was in the hospital.

That's right, Peng and I walked here. The beeping from the heart monitor made my headache worse. 

"Hey, kid." Sabo's voice was quiet. That's weird, I thought I was in Flevance. Sabo was standing in the doorway. "You're absolutely hopeless, you know that?" 

"What'd you mean?" I tilted my head at Sabo. I moved to sit up, my side throbbed with pain.

"Ouches." 

"Careful, Law said you broke some ribs," Sabo chided. "This is the second time you've been in a hospital bed this week," Sabo said. 

"That's because someone's mad about that Mingo guy," I stated. 

"What? This is out of revenge?" Sabo asked. I nodded. 

"That's worse, I thought Blackbeard was trying to finish what he started four years ago," Sabo said, he stepped into the room and sat at the foot of my bed. "It does explain why he hasn't come after me..." There was a pause between us.

"What are you going to do?" Sabo asked. 

"There's a hit on Dellinger, Blackbeard is coming after us for him," I began. I explained everything to Sabo. Stussy wanting Law to help, and the idea to use Sanji and Zoro's wedding as a distraction. I even mentioned the argument Toroa and I had. 

Sabo sat with his legs crossed in contemplation. 

"No way in hell to talk you out of this?" He asked. 

"Nope!" I agreed. Sabo nodded. 

"Thought so," He said. "In that case, I think the Strawhats should take a break until the wedding." 

"Why?"

"If you keep posting on social media, Blackbeard will keep following you. Keep attacking you and Zoro," Sabo explained. "If you step back a little bit, then It'll be harder to figure out where you are."

"Okay," I said. I guess that made sense, plus that would make it a lot easier for Zoro and Sanji to plan their wedding. 

"When is the wedding?" 

"September 22nd."

"In that case, you should definitely take a break," Sabo said. "Going that long with a target on your back is dangerous." 

"Okay, I let the others know," I said. Sabo tilted his head.

"Wait, really?" 

"Yeah." 

"I thought that'd be harder to talk you into..." Sabo muttered. "There's one more thing. I think it's safer if you're not in Flevance."

"I'm not leaving Torao by himself when Blackbeard is after him," I said. 

"Blackbeard knows you're here-"

"Which is why I can't leave Torao." Sabo sighed. 

"Would at least not stay here all the time then? Come stay with me and Koala a few weeks at a time?" 

"I guess," I agreed. Sabo let out another sigh. There was a knock on the door. 

"Hey, Luf, how ya feeling?" It was a Penguin. 

"My head hurts, and my side." 

"I bet. You've got a broken rib and two fractured," Penguin said. 

"Awe, wait, does that mean I can't dance?" 

"Yeah, for six weeks at least, maybe more," Penguin said. Well, that sucks. "Is Law still asleep?" I looked over at him. he was definitely still asleep, and still holding my hand. 

"Looks like it," Sabo said. 

"I don't think we've met, I'm Penguin, a friend of Law's." Penguin held out his hand. "My friend's call me Peng." 

"Sabo, Luffy's older brother," Sabo said, accepting his greeting. 

"Someone really should wake him up though, his shifted started an hour ago..." Peng said. I reached over a poked Law's cheek a few times. 

"Torao," I said. With a deep breath, Law woke up.

"Love?" He muttered. "You're awake." 

"Uh-huh, so are you," I said. 

"How do you feel?" 

"Better than yesterday." "Boss," Penguin said. "It's 9." 

"Shit," Law muttered. Law got to his feet, letting go of my hand. "I have to go, Love, I'll check on you soon." Law kissed the top of my head and left with a small nod to Sabo. Penguin followed Law out. Sabo and I hung out in the hospital room all day. Sachi came and gave me pain killers so that was nice. At the end of the day, Sabo headed to mine and Torao's house. 

"Hey, you," Law said from the doorway a few hours after Sabo left. 

"Hi," I said with a smile. 

"Feeling any better?" He asked, stepping into the room and taking a seat where he had been sleeping earlier. 

"Yeah, can I go home yet?" Law sighed. 

"No, Crocus is keeping you here for another two days." Law grabbed my hand and folded his fingers between mine. 

"What? That's insane, I don't want to stay here that long!" 

"Love, I'd rather you be here than dislodge your rib." Law pressed a kiss to my hand, 

"I'm going to die of boredom!" I definitely did not whine. Okay, maybe I did just a little. 

"That's a bit dramatic," Law scoffed. 

"It's true!" I declared, Law rolled his eyes at me. 

"I'm going to head home and try and get some decent sleep," Law said. "I'll be back first thing in the morning. Think you can last 'til then?" 

"I guess," I sighed. 

"Jean has a 24-hour shift and he'll be here all night."

"Okay." Law pressed another kiss to my hand. He was quiet for a while, staring at a blank spot on the floor and holding my hand close to his lips.   
"Luffy," He uttered. "I'm sorry about yesterday morning. I was a complete ass to you and I shouldn't have been." 

"Yeah, you were," I agreed, I brought our hands to my lips and kissed the back of his hand. Law smiled at that. 

"I know you care so much about me and your friends," Law said. "I'm so fucking scared of losing you." Law muttered the last part and wouldn't look at me. 

"Torao, c' mere," I said. Law leaned closer to me. I grabbed his shirt and pulled him down into a kiss. Torao nearly fell on me but caught himself with one hand pressed to the mattress and the other resting at my hip. I wrapped my arms around his neck.

"Just so we're clear," Torao broke our kiss and pressed his forehead to mine, "you've forgiven me, right?" 

"Uh-huh," I hummed. Law kissed me again, hardly more than a peck on the lips. He always did that when we weren't behind a locked door. Never let me have a real kiss. 

I pulled him into another one, and still, he kept it short. 

"Hey, Traffy," I said with a grin. "Would you ever fuck me in your office?" 

Law made a what-the-fuck? face before responding. "Absolutely fucking not." 

"Awe, why not?" The thought of being caught was exciting. Torao pulled away and returned to his chair. 

"I'm not even comfortable having sex when there are other people under the same roof, what makes you think I'd be okay with it here? Where I work." Law spoke quietly and quickly. 

"Okay, a place you don't work then?" 

"Wha-no!" 

"You're no fun," I decided. "Maybe in a year or two, I can convince you."

"Not likely," Law said. He stood up and headed for the door. "Do want anything from home?" 

"Mm," I thought about it for a moment. If I could have my phone to play games on that would be nice, but my phone wasn't home. I lost it somewhere in between the fight and getting back into town. There was a reason we didn't call an ambulance. 

"Nope." With the wires that were hooked to my arm and the lack of just _another person_ in the room, the night was impossible to sleep through. 

Torao did come back early the next morning though. And he smuggled in pancakes for me. The day was slow and I think I slept through most of it. That only made the next night even harder to sleep through. 

Finally, the following day, after some x-rays, a thing called a CT scan, and a long list of thing I could and couldn't do (there was a lot, too many to remember,) I got to go home. Torao brought me home, where Fai had a pile of stuff growing in the living room. 

"Shit!" She yelled from the hallway. I headed in that direction and found Fai pulling on a garbage bag, stuck in her doorway. 

"Whatchya doin'?" I asked. 

"Failing miserably," Fai grumbled, giving the bag another tug. It flopped on the ground, now free from the doorway, but also modeling a huge rip. "Damnit." 

"Need another bag?" I asked. 

"Yes," Fai muttered in defeat. I went to the kitchen and grabbed one for her.

"Thanks." Fai took the bag. Torao was in the hall now too, he kneeled down next to Fai to help her.

"Why don't you use a suitcase?" He asked. 

"It's filled with books and movies, bags are easier anyway." Fai paused. "When they're not traitorous little shits!"

"Do you need help taking your stuff over?" Law asked. 

"Nope, Mansherry and her friend Leo are going to come and help me out any minute." 

"You invited strangers to my house?" Law scrunched his nose in that cute way that he does.

"They're not strangers if you wanna be a hermit, go live in the mountains," Fai said. Law tied off the new bag. 

"For that, you can carry the bag by yourself," Law said, getting back to his feet and heading for our room. 

"Hey, wait, a second where's Sabo?" I asked. 

"He didn't tell you?" Fai asked. 

"No?" 

"Sabo was only here for one night, he came to check on you and went back to Logue Town." 

"Oh, okay." There was a knock on the door 

"I got it!" I announced. 

"It's not like I need your help anyway," Fai huffed as I walked away. I answered the door to see a short, scrawny girl with long curly blond hair. Next to her was a boy that was only a few inches taller. 

"A-are you Fai's cousin?" The boy asked with wide eyes and a shaky voice.

"Nope, are you the ones Fai said were coming to help?" The boy nodded vigorously. 

"Stop it, Leo, just tell him you're a fan. You're being creepy," The girl said. She smiled at me. 

"Hi, I'm Mansherry, this is my friend Leo, Fai invited us over." She reminded me of Shirahoshi, just a little bit. 

"Shishi, come in, I'm Luffy." I opened the door more and moved out of the way to let them in. Fai had just heaved her garbage bag onto the couch. Torao came back out into the living room, only passing by us to go to the kitchen. 

"Fai!" Mansherry muttered. "You didn't tell me your cousin was the psycho doctor."

"Oh please, Law's harmless," Fai waved her off and picked up a box and passed it to Leo. 

"I don't know Fai," Law said, leaning against the wall that separated the kitchen and living room.

"She is going to be your new roommate," Law started. Mansherry went pale. "Maybe we should tell her the truth-" 

"Law, stop being an ass," Fai cut-in. 

"If I have to be accused of murder at least let me have fun with it," Law sighed and went back into the kitchen. 

"Here," Fai passed Mansherry a box equal in size. "Wanna help out too, Luffy?"

"No!" Law called from the kitchen before I had a chance to take the plastic drawers Fai was holding. Law was in the living room before I knew it. "Broken ribs, remember?" Law took the drawers from Fai. "Love, you're not touching anything." 

"What am I gunna do then?" I asked. 

"Anything Crocus said you could do." 

"But those were all boring stuff," I said. 

"I don't give a damn. If you dislodge it again you'll spend another three days in the hospital," Law warned. 

"See, look at how concerned he is for Luffy, he's harmless," Fai said, she took the drawers back from Law. "Go keep your boyfriend entertained, we got this." 

"You sure?"

"Yep, hurry up or Leo might steal him away from you." Fai led the way out the door. Leo blushed and quickly followed her. Mansherry went out too.

"Torao, can we go to the Beachfront, I still wanna check out all those cool rides!" 

"I don't know, maybe you should wait until your ribs have had time to heal some more." 

"Torao, please!" I pleaded. "Crocus never said I _couldn't_ go." Law pressed his lips together. 

"Alright, but if it starts to hurt, tell me right away." 

"Deal!" 

"Let me finish the coffee I just made," Law said. 

Ten minutes later and we were getting into Law's car. Fai's stuff was a little more than half out of the house. We got there and there were lots of different rides and cool mini-games to play. 

"Torao, that one looks so cool!" I said. There was a ride with two-person carriages, the carriages spun all the way around while being on a conveyor belt thing. The word ZIPPER flashed above it in neon lights

"You sure?" He asked. 

"Stop being scared, c' mon." I grabbed his hand and pulled him into the line that was loading onto the ride. We got into the last available one. The operator made sure our seatbelts were secure and closed the front of the carriage, locking it so we wouldn't fall out. The ride moved slow, I grabbed Law's hand. I knew he was scared but he wouldn't admit it. When it got to the top though, I could feel how unstable it was. If I leaned forward or backward, just a little bit, it'd spin upside down. 

"Oh, Torao," I smirked as I drew out his name. I leaned back a little bit, then forward. Torao squeezed my hand. The rocking did kinda hurt, but it was worth it.

"Don't you fucking dare," He muttered, I leaned back again and the carriage tilted upside down. Law squeezed harder and I rocked back and forth again. "I hate you." Law squeezed my hand more. The ride went around a couple of times. Every time we reached the top, I rocked our seat and Torao would squeeze my hand every time. 

"I'm never bringing you here again," Law decided once we got off the ride. 

"Liar," I said, pulling him to the next ride. Torao and I went back and forth, getting on and off rides. First, it was all the new rides that had been added since last fall. Then it was the ones that were rebuilt. There was only two that Torao wouldn't let me get on. One of them, we had to lay on our stomachs to get on. The other one, Law explained what would happen if I got on but that didn't make a lot of sense.

Then we played a bunch of the games that were in between rides, slowly making our way back to the car.

"This one!" I said.

"How aren't you broke yet?" Law muttered as he followed me to another booth. I had stopped at an ATM just two booths ago to get more cash. I slammed the ten dollars onto the counter. The guy smiled at me and set the darts in front of me.

"I'm gunna win that right there!" I pointed at the big deer that was easily the size of the bear

Torao had won me last year. "For you."

"You've won nothing but stickers and candy the last six booths with several tries," Law stated.

"This one is different."

"You said that about the one with the sea lion."

"It is!" I insisted. Law rolled his eyes and I threw the dart.

I did it! right in the middle.

"You were saying?" I asked.

"You just got lucky," Law muttered, putting his hands into his pockets and looking away. The guy behind the counter took the dart out and gave me the okay to throw the next one. Again!

"See, I told you!"

"M-hm," Law hummed. Another dart, and another. Then the last one. The last one I got just a little bit into the ring around the middle of the target. The guy behind the counter rung a loud bell.

"Go ahead and choose your pize, you get anything on the wall."

"I want the deer," I said. The man got one of those long stick things and got the blue-nosed dear down.

"Shishi, here you go, Torao."

"You are so cheesy," He muttered.

"My bear needs a friend. He's all alone in the back of our closet."

"If you say so " Law agreed. We started walking down again. Oh, we were already back at the entrance we came in.

So we headed home. Fai wasn't there when we got there. Her whole room was empty except for the mattress and bed frame that was the there when she moved in.

"Traffy," I said. "We have the house all to ourselves now."

"We do," Law agreed. I rested my hands on his hips and pulled him closer to me. I stood on my toes and kissed him, pushing my hands up under his shirt. Torao pulled away and pushed my hands down.

"What exactly are you implying?" He asked in a whisper against my ear.

"Sex, obviously," I said.

"Not today, Love," Law said.

"What? Why not?"

"Your ribs, they need to heal, and the rest of you too."

"I feel fine," I insisted.

"That's the opioids." Law pecked my lips and stepped away from me. 

"Then how long?" I asked If I was going to be around Torao the whole time I was healing, I don't think I can go that long without sex.

"Until you're healed, obviously." 

"That's insane!" I argued. 

"Oh please, we've gone longer without it," Law went into our room. 

"Only when we were apart," I huffed and plopped onto the couch. That was a bad idea. My entire side ached with the movement and really didn't like the landing. 

"Ouches," I mumbled. This was going to be a long injury. 

In the next couple of days, I met the others in Water 7. For a few reasons. To explain what was going on, for our meeting with Marco. I was really starting to hate those. They were so long and boring. Then there was meeting Stussy and Trace with Zoro and Sanji. After Stussy explained the plan, Zoro and Sanji sat quietly for a moment. 

"You're sure it won't mess up anything we plan?" Sanji asked. 

"I'm sure," Stussy confirmed. 

"Okay," Zoro said, looking at me. "If it will help keep this guy from trying to hurt you and Law then that's what you gotta do."

"Do you need us to do anything?" Sanji asked, leaning back on the couch and resting his foot on his knee.

"Not at the moment," Trace said. 

"Let us know if you do," Zoro said. Stussy nodded. 

"Thank you both," Stuffy said with a smile and took a drink from her water.   
The next morning, we got ready for the meeting with Marco. We had meetings often, mostly to talk about the money we were making off the merch and off social media. 

"We're going to be late again," Nami sighed in defeat. 

"Zoro, ring bearer." 

"Exactly, ring bear." 

"Bearer."

"Are you stupid? That's what I just said." 

"You said a bear, like, the _animal,"_ Sanji said through clenched teeth. 

"A bear would be SUPER cool at a wedding," Franky chimed in.  
  


"A BEAR!?" I jumped to my feet at the thought. "Sanji! You guys _have_ to get a bear!"

"Please, no," Usopp muttered. 

"Don't you dare encourage this," Sanji snapped glaring at me and Franky.

"Okay, but actually, we should get going," Usopp said. It's already 8:55."

"Thank god I'm not the only voice of reason," Nami muttered, rubbing her forehead.

"A bear might eat all your wedding guests, I think I'd like to stick around a little while longer," Robin said. 

"A bear would be a very bad idea," Jimbei agreed

"Thank you," Sanji said.

"Oh! Wait, before we leave I gotta say something!" I remembered. 

"...what now?" Nami asked with hesitation. 

"We gotta take a break," I said. 

"I never thought I'd hear you suggest that," Sanji said. 

"Sabo and Torao think it's safer because of Blackbeard." 

"Wouldn't it be wiser to be moving around instead of in one place?" Brook asked. 

"That wouldn't matter with our social media stuff, they'd know where we are as soon as we landed," Robin said. 

"Being apart, especially for Zoro and Luffy will make it harder to catch up to them," Nami added. 

"It not a good idea for you and Zoro to stay in the same place," Jimbei said. 

"Sabo wants me to go back and forth between Logue Town and Flevance."

"Just how long are we taking a break for?" Nami asked.

"Until Sanji and Zoro's wedding, duh."

"Luffy-bro, that's a super long time," Franky said. 

  
"A few months, yeah."

"Will The Pirate's Company let us do that?" Robin asked. 

"Of course they will, the only thing we're obligated to is the festival," Nami said. "It's in our contract."

"What about Zoro?" Brook asked. 

"He can go back and forth too," Robin said. 

"And, our meeting just started..." Usopp said. 

"Shit, we'd better go," Sanji said. 

"I have been saying that the last ten minutes," Nami grumbled. 

"Well, let's go then," I said. 

The meeting was so boring. It dragged on and on. All Marco talked about was money, and it was mostly with Nami. If money was the only thing we were going to talk about, it should have just been Nami that had to be there. Marco did mention a new line of merch though. School supplies with our brand. That was interesting for about ten seconds. He also mentioned a concert for a charity in Wano Country. That wasn't until the end of winter though. Then there was the issue with Blackbeard, the legal stuff. Pressing charges, all that. I didn't care. Blackbeard would get what's coming to him soon enough. A guy like him can't have many friends. 

"Hey, Marco," I said, just as we were getting ready to leave. 

"We're gunna take a break until Zoro and Sanji's wedding," I said.

"You are?" He asked. 

"Well, yeah," Nami chimed in.

"Luffy can't exactly dance after being attacked twice, Zoro's leg is still healing, and it's going slow since he keeps popping the stitches." 

"Twice?" Marco asked. 

"Someone jumped me in Flevance," I said. Nami nodded.

"He's got a broken rib," She added. "With all that going on and Zoro and Sanji's wedding, coming up, it's better that we take a break. Let those dumbasses heal and build up some hype, make a come back after the wedding. "It'll be a huge moneymaker." Nami liked her lips at that.

"Alright, We'll make it work," Marco said, before standing and leaving. 

A few days later I went back to Flevance. 

The days turned to weeks, Torao worked a lot, and with no one home I got bored quickly. There was just nothing to do. So I went out to the Beachfront and to the bar. To the beach. None of it was very fun by myself. It was about two weeks after the hospital and the fight that I made a friend. She was at the bar with her sisters, one went to the bathroom and the other went to get more drinks. A guy was leaning on the back of her booth, blocking her only way out. 

It was obvious the moment he approached her, that she wasn't interested in talking to him.  
I watched them for a moment. The lady stuck her nose up and crossed her arms she spoke but I couldn't hear it. 

The guy got defensive, angry everywhere but his face. Which was weird to see. I remembered Nami saying that if I ever wanted to help a girl that looked like she was being bothered by a guy, to pretend to be her boyfriend. 

She definitely looked bothered by the guy. And he wasn't leaving her alone. "Is he bothering you?" I asked her.

"Doesn't matter to you," he said, waving me off.

"I wouldn't be so sure of that," The woman said with a snobbish tone.

"Why's that?" He asked sticking out his chest and making his shoulders tense.

"He's my boyfriend," She said.

"You don't have a mark," he said.

"That's none of your business," she stuck her nose in the air again. The man shook his head.

"Whatever, sorry man," the guy clapped my shoulder and walked away.

"You good?" I asked her.

"Better now, why can't men just take 'no' for an answer?" She said the second part more to herself. "Thanks."

"No problem, I'm Luffy."

"I'm Boa Hancock. I prefer Boa," she said. "Please, sit. God forbid that creep comes back." She mad that more of a demand than a request. Ah, whatever, it's not like I had anyone else to sit with.

"Are you here with anyone?" Boa asked.

"Nope."

"Well, that's a little odd," she rocked her empty glass on the table.  
"Is it?"

"Yeah, almost creepy."

"I was just bored at home by myself."

"What about your friends?" I shrugged.

"My boyfriend works a lot, and our friends too," I said. Fai didn't like going out very much, she was either working or not in the mood to go out.

"Boyfriend?" She sounded a little disappointed, but not surprised.

"Yeah, he's really cool." I smiled.

"Is this guy bothering you?" One of Boa's sisters came back.

"No, Sandersonia, he saved me from a perv," she said."You did?" She asked. Boa scooted over and Sandersonia sat next to her.

"I guess," I agreed.

"He's here alone," Boa added. Sandersonia raised her eyebrow. "Said his friend's and boyfriend don't have time for him."

"That's not true, they're just busy right now," I said.

"Who? Do we know them?"

"Law, Sachi, Bepo, Jean, and Penguin?"

"Wait..." Sandersonia said. "That's the doctor right, Hancock, the one that was on trial for murder?"

"Trafalgar Law," Boa confirmed.

"That's my boyfriend," I said. Both of them raised their eyebrows.

"Did he actually murder those two then?"

"No," I said right away. "I'm not talking about that."

"Yes, let's not," Boa agreed. Another one of her sisters came back, with three drinks in her hands. 

"I didn't know we had a fourth in our party," she said.

"Marigold, this is Luffy," Boa said.

"Yo." I scooted over to make room for her and Marigold slipped into the booth next to me. After that encounter, I started to do more stuff with them.

Boa and her sisters lived outside of Flevance, in a place that was more like a village than a town. At least that's what they told me. Torao still worked a lot and I hung out with Fai and Sachi a little bit but it was starting to feel the same as being in a completely different town as Torao. Save for getting to see him in the morning, and some nights he didn't come back too late.

But today was his day off. 

"What next?" He asked, grabbing the remote from the coffee table and putting his arm back around my shoulders. 

"I don't really feel like watching another movie," I said. What I really wanted was him. To be close to him, our bodies pressed close with nothing in between.

"Anything else you want to do, Love?" Torao already told me _no._ That was a few days ago. Maybe he'd want to _now_. 

Nothing I did really hurt my side anymore. Sometimes when I slept on it weird. 

" _You._ " I leaned into his shoulder. Law sighed. 

"Love, we've been over this several times, not until your ribs are healed." 

"We still did it when your wounds were fresh..." I muttered. 

"That's was different, the worst that could have come of that was a wound re-opening. Your rib can puncture your lung if you're not careful." Law pressed a kiss to my temple. 

"I'm fine, I swear. My side hardly ever hurts anymore." I climbed into Law's lap and ran my hands through his hair. 

"I don't want to risk it," Law said. I bit my lip and looked down and pulled my hands into my lap. 

"Toroa...don't you want me?" The thought had crossed my mind several times. I'm sure he did, but lately...  
  


"Wha-Is that what this is about?" Law asked. 

"Well, you don't seem to even want sex..." 

"Luffy, Love," Torao tilted my chin up so my eyes met his. He wrapped one arm around me and pulled me a little closer to him. "Of course I want you. Shit- I'd love to take you into our bedroom right now. Every time you've let me know you wanted sex, I've had a hell of a time saying no."

Law slid his hands up my thighs and under my shirt. With a deep breath, Law kissed me. He bit my lip and did _something_ with his tongue that made me melt. 

I tangled my fingers in his hair just in time for Law to pull away. 

"Babe, I just don't want you to get hurt." Law kissed my neck and pulled me closer. Our bodies pressed together and I could just barely feel his heartbeat on my chest.

"Torao..." I muttered when he bit my ear lobe. 

"Look, I don't _need_ sex to be content with you." Law ran his hands over my thighs again. "But damn, I have a hard time keeping my hands off you." Torao made a point of squeezing my ass. 

"You're gorgeous, Love, stunning even. And outright _sexy."_ I couldn't help the blush that spread down my neck. Torao ran his hands up my sides under my shirt. "But I don't want you to get hurt again and I certainly don't want you to have to wait another six weeks to be dancing, especially with Sanji-ya's and Zoro-ya's wedding being so close." Torao kissed me again. And again he bit my lip and my lips parted all for him. And again he did that _thing_ with his tongue that felt so good. 

He was my _home_ and he was _mine._ And that's all that mattered. 


End file.
